Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/640308
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016 4 News Hands off children, new commissioner tells politicians TIM DIACONO USING kids to pull people's heart- strings to donate money for the an- nual l-iStrina charity campaign is "pathetic" and nothing short of ma- nipulation, the new children's com- missioner has claimed. "Children should not be used as a tool to tug at people's heartstrings so as to convince them to donate mon- ey," Pauline Miceli said in an inter- view on Ghandi Xi Nghid on Radju Malta yesterday. "Children with illnesses have a right to every sort of treatment, but they shouldn't be rendered into mere objects of pity. It undignifies them, and I personally wouldn't want to expose my child to that experience." Miceli, formerly head of the Naxx- ar Higher Secondary School, also had harsh words for political parties who use children and youth in their election campaigns. "Political parties should not get to use children as tokens to show off how much they care about future generations," she said. "Moreover, children sometimes change their political affiliations as they grow up. Associating their faces with a politi- cal party risks exposing them to fu- ture embarrassment and harm." She added that she plans to present guidelines to the political parties on how to minimize the "negative use" of children in election campaigns. However, she said that children must be encouraged to discuss and argue about political issues, warn- ing that a failure to do so risks the emergence of a self-interested politi- cal class. "We are already starting to see the effects – young politicians without a social drive who are only interested in earning money and advancing their own careers." Miceli warned that a recent 'youth ambassador' initiative – through which youth were appointed to sit in for local council meetings – had failed to kick off due to a lack of in- terest. "School has become more and more competitive and pressure on children is piling up; their homework load is growing and private lessons are becoming more and more popu- lar. Maltese society is already far too competitive as it is, with most people preparing to go it alone rather than work as part of a team. "However, children should be taught from an early age about their social responsibilities." She also claimed that Maltese chil- dren are being taught to simply fol- low rules unquestionably, rather than to develop their own arguments. "During my time at Higher Sec- ondary, we had organised several projects with foreign schools, and the difference between our children and theirs was sometimes striking. While the foreign children were not always as academically qualified as ours, they were capable of presenting arguments in a way ours couldn't." 'Alternatives to Paceville required' Pauline Miceli called for the crea- tion of new recreation zones for youth to serve as an alternative to Paceville. "Such zones must be free of cost and mustn't be overly organised or restrictive," she said. "Many youth don't want to go to youth centres, but simply to go out with their friends." She warned of a "common phe- nomenon" whereby young parents go out at night, leaving their children free to roam around Paceville as they please. "I often hear stories of parents driv- ing their children out late at night and then picking them up even later. This is a worrying phenomenon that must be addressed." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt Labour MPs not unanimous on embryo freezing law CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A Cabinet member who is against embryo freezing is Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella, who told MaltaToday he would vote against the legislation if this is proposed to parliament. Vella, a general practitioner him- self, insisted that egg freezing, or oocyte vitrification, had proved successful enough and he did not see why embryo freezing should be made available on the national reg- ister, unless extreme cases dictate a need for the better of two evils. "This was not part of the electoral manifesto and I will vote against it… I believe this is a matter of a free vote," Vella said. Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela – said to be reluctant on em- bryo freezing – was non-commit- tal on his voting intentions when asked, insisting that it "will depend on the final text of the Bill" that will be presented to Parliament. "I am pro-life and not pro-death, and I will continue to steadfastly oppose abortion and euthanasia. However, I am in favour of IVF as it helps create life." Abela was even reluctant to ex- press his personal opinion on the very concept of embryo freezing, adding that he would be in a much- informed position once the bill is drafted. Government whip Godfrey Far- rugia and junior minister Deborah Schembri have publicly stated they will not support embryo freezing. When asked by MaltaToday, Schembri said that she was against embryo freezing although she does see the need for "certain changes". "It will be up to the Prime Minister to decide whether to give a free vote or not," she added. Farrugia, also a GP, has already made his intentions clear in a re- ligious pamphlet that gets posted to domestic residences, Is-Sliem, in which he spoke of the embryo's "right to live" and against "the kill- ing of embryos". Here he echoes a similar opposition raised by his partner, the former Labour MP turned independent, Marlene Far- rugia. Backbencher Etienne Grech, an- other GP, has taken a more middle- of-the-road approach, arguing that there are valid ethical arguments for not freezing, but also scientific facts that support potential tangible human benefits. Parliamentary secretary for the elderly Justyne Caruana and back- benchers Franco Mercieca, Silvio Parnis and Manuel Mallia chose not to share their thoughts on embryo freezing. Caruana did not reply to MaltaToday's email; Mallia refused to commit on a position, telling this newspaper he was abroad but say- ing that he would "cross the bridge when [the party] comes to it"; Par- nis said it would be "premature to comment at this stage"; whilst Mercieca, an ophthalmologist, said he "looked forward to further ex- haustive discussion" – again a sign of MPs not willing to take a stand before the issue is truly thrashed out in the parliamentary group. Piloted by junior health minis- ter Chris Fearne, the review of the IVF law is still on the parliamentary group's agenda although discus- sions appear to have reached a hia- tus, an MP told MaltaToday. An inter-ministerial committee is now looking into the introduction of embryo vitrification, which in contrast to the technology of slow freezing, is said to be a more effi- cient method for the cryopreserva- tion of embryos. Between January 2014 and Janu- ary 2015, the live-birth rate of Malta's current system of assisted reproduction stood at just 8% of the 51 IVF cycles completed on the na- tional health serve. The low rate of births from the system of freezing the ova is one of the factors informing the govern- ment's legislative drive to widen ac- cess to assisted reproductive tech- nology. According to the government, in the 30 months since its introduc- tion, there were 411 IVF and intra- cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles up to June 2015: 116 resulted in viable pregnancies. Despite the clinical pregnancy rate standing at 30%, the govern- ment insists that the live birth rates have not been satisfactory. But ethical issues over the fate of additional embryos that could be left 'unwanted' by parents has garnered opposition by both the Church and the citizen group Save the Embryo Protection Act Malta. The Church has issued a position paper, arguing against any changes to the current law, which it said "safeguards the legitimate inter- ests of the prospective child and it champions appropriate standards of ethics in fertility treatment." Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has not taken a clear stand on the issue, perhaps unwilling to pit party liberals and conservatives. He has previously called on Muscat to hold a public consultation on the thorny subject. But while he bides his time on an- other of the prime minister's bold campaigns, it seems it is the Labour 'rebels' that will set the agenda for Muscat. 'This was not part of the electoral manifesto and I will vote against it' – George Vella Public displeasure: pro-life organisations have been drumming up support against the embryo freezing law, often dropping in the abortion card for added effect "School has become more and more competitive and pressure on children is piling up"