Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/558086
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 19 AUGUST 2015 News Call for euthanasia legalisation to give people 'the right to die with dignity' TIM DIACONO EUTHANASIA should be at least partially legalised to grant people the right to die with dig- nity, according to Critical Insti- tute director Shaun Grech. "Dignity forms the basis of hu- man rights and I believe that any person should have the full right to not only live, but to also die with dignity," Grech told Malta- Today. "We need a law that, first and foremost, exercises compas- sion and respects peoples' wills and desires. "People suffering from termi- nal conditions should be allowed to decide for themselves, with- out external pressure, whether to die with dignity," he said, add- ing that the process must be in- formed, dignified, and one that minimises shame, stress, pres- sure and stigma." A recent study by university lecturer Jurgen Abela indicates that 14% of doctors have received euthanasia requests from ailing patients but that 89.1% of them would never consider euthana- sia. However, 45.3% of the 160 doctors surveyed agreed that patients have a right to decide whether to hasten their death or not. A whopping 89.8% of the doc- tors considered their religious or philosophical values to be "important" or "very important" in guiding their end-of-life deci- sions, with 82.3% of them identi- fying with Roman Catholicism. Notwithstanding this seem- ingly fierce opposition by doctors though, Grech – a researcher of disabled people and a proponent of social change – believes that the time is ripe to open up a na- tional euthanasia debate. "Debate is well overdue," he said. "Immediately after the de- bate, serious, informed, human and respectful measures need to be taken to support and fully protect people with terminal conditions." Similarly, Maria Pisani, direc- tor of the human rights NGO Integra Foundation, voiced her support for euthanasia, arguing that everyone should be given the right to a "compassionate and dignified death". "This is without doubt a seri- ous issue that demands an in- formed and reasoned debate," she said. "But the debate needs to happen." Meanwhile, Malta Human- ist Association vice-president Ramon Casha called for the in- troduction of legally-binding advance directives that would allow patients to spell out the conditions under which they would want to be euthanised in advance of treatment that could render them unable to commu- nicate that choice. "The issue has become more important nowadays, with mod- ern medicine sometimes able to extend life indefinitely," Casha said. "However, the patients' quality of life and wishes must also be taken into account. Peo- ple should have the right to self- determination, of course so long as it includes safeguards against abuse." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt Labour's women branch support embryo freezing, sperm donation Nisa Laburisti submits 10 recommendations for review of Embryo Protection Act MATTHEW VELLA Labour's women branch Nisa Laburisti has submitted 10 rec- ommendations to the inter-min- isterial IVF review working com- mittee, which includes experts from the health, justice, and civil liberties ministries. NL president Claudette Abela Baldacchino said the recommen- dations were submitted following the government's announcement of an intention to evaluate cur- rent IVF legislation in the con- text of new equality laws as well as recent judgments of the Euro- pean Court of Human Rights. Under Malta's Embryo Pro- tection Act, in vitro fertilisa- tion services are offered by the national health service only to married couples and heterosex- ual unmarried couples in a stable union. The law forbids the freez- ing of embryos, sperm donation, or surrogacy. In their ten proposals, the NL has also proposed a change in the name of the law, since the law itself deals with fertility treatment. The group said it also wants to see: Introduction of embryo • freezing, as well as trans- ferring frozen embryos from previous cycles with- out the need for the wom- an to go through a treat- ment cycle again. After the cycles, viable embryos should be decided upon by the couple that owns them; No legal restrictions on • age. The NHS may bring in age restrictions as it deems fit for the services offered by the state, but that does not require a legal barrier; Ova and sperm donation • available for all, without obligation to donate; ano- nymity for sperm donors Consideration of the pos- • sibility of exchange of ova and sperm donation with foreign banks if necessary; In the case of a known • donor, a law to regulate how donor is included in parenting or otherwise; Explore the possibility • of surrogacy, but the NL talks about limits on com- mercial surrogacy. "Statistics produced lately by the government show that in the last 30 months (January 2013- June 2015), 411 IVF and ICSI (in- tracytoplasmic sperm injection) cycles were carried out in Malta, 81 of them in the new IVF clinic at Mater Dei Hospital. "In total, 116 viable pregnan- cies have resulted from these cycles – an overall success rate of 28% which compares well to the latest figure published by the UK Human Fertilization & Em- bryo Authority (HFEA) – 25% in 2011," Nisa Laburisti said.