Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/969423
News 3 maltatoday SUNDAY 15 APRIL 2018 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K April FREE ENTRANCE MFCC Ta'Qali 20-22 Organised by: Powered by: MRO:18 M A LT A R O B O T I C S O LY M P I A D O:18 O LY M P I A D free shuttle service free CHILD MINDING SERVICE h t t p : // m r o m a l t a . c o m C M Y CM MY CY CMY K MATTHEW AGIUS THE Malta Diocese has reacted with grief at the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, saying it will introduce a "new type of orphan". "It is with great sadness that we read the pro- posed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act. It seems that the amendments proposed in the said Bill go against the principal aim of the present law which seeks to assist infertile couples who are in a stable relationship," the Maltese bishops said. In an appeal directed towards "those who are responsible for this Bill," Archbishop Charles Sci- cluna and Bishop Mario Grech asked that they "truly protect life and human dignity and do noth- ing that will undermine the rights and wellbeing of the child." "We Maltese treasure our children and life from the beginning of conception," said the bishops, adding that they wanted to encourage this positive attitude, expressing their "profound appreciation" to those who strive to give their time and "proper assistance" to infertile couples who desire to have children. The law, as it stands, protects the dignity of embryos from the beginning of life and through- out their development into childhood by making sure that they are born and raised by their natural mother and father, said the bishops. "Not so in the proposed Bill. The child becomes a commodity to satisfy another person's desires. Anyone who wants a child, whoever he or she may be, can 'make' one with the blessing of the proposed law." The proposed law introduces the possibility of anonymous donors of gametes, surrogacy and the freezing of embryos, all of which are controversial topics for the Catholic Church. The bishops ex- pressed their concern at the possibility of produc- ing children who might never know their natural mother, father or family. "It is the law itself that makes the child a commodity." "The proposed Bill is deliberately introducing a new type of orphans. It is already a source of great pain when children, for one reason or another, are denied the great gift of being raised by their own mother and father. That the law itself is respon- sible for new situations that will also increase the discrimination between children, is very disquiet- ing." Children deserve to be safeguarded in their phys- ical, emotional, psychological, moral, and spiritual needs, argue the bishops. "They are the future gen- erations that will reap what is being sown today." Also troubling is the proposal of the freezing of embryos by choice, said the Church leaders. "There are many other ethical problems associ- ated with embryo freezing including the risk that a number of embryos that will be frozen may not be adopted and thus will remain unwanted. Due to adult choices, these children conceived by technol- ogy may never see the light of day." Pro-life NGO Gift of Life has said it has collected over 3,200 signatures in a petition against the law, over the last week. Bishops: IVF law will create 'new orphans' PAUL COCKS THE proposed amendments to the Em- bryo Protection Act have left the Nation- alist Party divided once again, as con- servatives clash with more liberal party officials as to what stand the party should adopt on the contentious issue. MaltaToday is informed that a meet- ing of the party's executive committee on Friday turned into a circus, with im- passioned arguing and name-calling, as members were about evenly split as to whether to back the government's proposals or to come out against them, clinching religious and conservative sup- port – and votes. Sources said that the more vocal con- servative members argued that Malta, despite Prime Minister's Joseph Muscat's best attempts to make it appear other- wise, remained a Catholic bastion and that many Maltese did not appreciate the government's unilateral decisions on matters they felt were contrary to their religious doctrine. Among the more vocal members to voice their concern within the Execu- tive Committee meeting were staunch Catholic MP Edwin Vassallo, former dep- uty leader Beppe Fenech Adami and MP Karol Aquilina. The changes to the law will make em- bryo freezing an integral part of the IVF treatment, something that pro-life groups are opposed to. Existing legislation only allows for the freezing of unfertilised eggs, which is ethically non-controversial. The Bill is also expected to make other sweeping changes, including the in- troduction of sperm and egg donation, which are currently outlawed. This aspect will make it possible for lesbians and in- fertile couples to have children. The age of women who would be able to benefit from IVF would increase to 48 in cases where eggs come from a young do- nor. It will remain 43, in other cases. Embryo freezing will be allowed on condition that prospective parents agree to give up unclaimed embryos for adop- tion. Prospective parents will be issued with a 'permit' by the regulator to have their embryos frozen, which can then be extended every five years until the wom- an is 43. PN leader Adrian Delia is said to have tried – and failed – to get those attending the committee meeting to reach an agree- ment as to what the party's public posi- tion should be. The party's conservative faction came under criticism by numerous MPs and other senior party officials for being "stuck in the past" and for "defending be- liefs that no longer belong to us". The same sources told MaltaToday that the vast majority of party officials – alleg- edly including also Delia – argued that the Labour Party's landslide win in the last election was indicative of a more pro- gressive way of thinking in the country and that the PN had to move away from its self-imposed conservative mantle if it were to remain relevant. "Calling all believers" When contacted, Vassallo would not confirm that the conservative and Catho- lic MPs within the Executive had come under attack by the more progressive members. But he did reveal that he, and other like-minded Catholics, were organis- ing a silent vigil in the coming week, and were calling on all Christians and persons of good faith to join them in a protest against the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act. "The time has come for all those who still value children's rights and the right to life to take to the streets in protest against the government's 'culture of death'", he said. Vassallo told MaltaToday that the gov- ernment's decision to grant lesbians and single women access to in-vitro fertilisa- tion under sweeping changes was a result of the administration's insistence on pla- cating everyone, whatever the cost. "But what right does Joseph Muscat have to make children orphans even be- fore they are born?" he said. "Who gave Muscat the right to play with life?" pcocks@mediatoday.com.mt PN split on proposed changes to Embryo Protection Act A fiery and often caustic executive committee meeting on the party's reaction to proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act has left the party split down the middle, with progressive members turning on conservative and self- proclaimed Christian MPs Edwin Vassallo is calling on all believers to take to the streets