Delia to give PN MPs a free vote on new IVF law

● Says Labour does not have a mandate to introduce surrogacy

Opposition Leader Adrian yesterday said he will giving PN MPs a free vote on the amendments to the IVF law, which will introduce embryo freezing, and challenged PM Joseph Muscat to do the same with the government Parliamentary group.

He said the government was being “cruel and insensitive” in the way it was pushing for embryo freezing and surrogacy and called for the process to be halted until a proper consultation exercise took place.

On Wednesday, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that the government will be proposing embryo freezing, however it is being tied to forced anonymous adoption of any remaining embryos to other couples or individuals. The amendments to the 2012 IVF law also propose the introduction of gamete donation and non-commercial surrogacy.

Interviewed on Radio 101, Delia said he was disappointed that the government had rushed in these amendments without consulting with the Opposition.

The PN, he said, had been given less than three days to discuss the amendments before they were presented in Parliament.

He said that in 2012 the PN had consulted with all stakeholders and won consensus on the issue, with the law being passed unanimously.

Delia hit out at reports, in the Labour media, saying that the PN parliamentary group was split over the amendments. He confirmed that he had immediately convened MPs and the party’s executive to discuss the issue and that there were differing views but said this was because the issue here was finding a balance between the value of human life and the value of compassion towards people who had difficulty having children.

“We want to see how we can bring these two beautiful values together without trampling over the rights of the voiceless.”

Delia said he could not understand why the government was rushing to introduce these amendments without first holding a proper discussion.

He asked whether there were government MPs who shared these concerns, asking whether anyone from within the government’s parliamentary group would speak out.

“Instead of attacking the PN for discussing the subject maybe one should ask whether there are people in government who do not agree with these amendments.

“Are you comfortable with the fact that there will be children on the shelf with an expiry date, with the possibility that they will never be adopted?”

The government first removed the protection of the unborn child from the domestic violence act, he said, and was now being “insensitive and cruel” in ushering in this new law that was hurting many people from both sides of the political divide.

“We spent months discussing hunting before the referendum but something like this happens in just a few days.”

The PN leader reiterated that the party believed in life from the moment of conception. Embryos are also human life, he said, “so when we speak about freezing an embryo we are really speaking about freezing a human being.”

“Children are a gift and there is nothing wrong in science helping out, but pro-choice also means taking into account the choice of those who cannot express their views.”

Delia said modern society had come up with fundamental rights for animals but the same could not be said for the unborn child.

Delia said he knew people who could not have children naturally and he empathized with them. But there were also many people who, although they wished to have children, would not dare cross that “red line.”

He blasted the government for introducing surrogacy in the same law, pointing out that this was not part of the PL’s electoral mandate. He also argued that while the law would not allow commercial surrogacy, the process could possibly still be carried out for financial gain. The process, he said, would render the woman’s body into an object.

Referring to the fact that embryos can be anonymously ‘adopted’ by same sex couples or single parents, Delia said the proposed law would also destroy the concept of family.

He also said that embryos that are given up will turn into children who will never know who their real parents are. “Is this the type of society we want to live in?”

Delia said the PN would be moving its own amendments but insisted that surrogacy, which brings with it many ethical problems, should not form part of the same law.

He said the government should stop the process and start discussing.

PL reaction

Reacting, the Labour Party insisted that the government had a mandate to update the IVF law. It said this was a question of principle that the entire PL parliamentary group was united on.

On the other hand the Opposition did not have a clear position on an issue of equality, which it had supposedly been in favour of when it voted in favour of samesex marriage.

The PL said one could say that there is no rush to change the law without being insensitive towards people with fertility problems.

The PL said it looked forward to discussing and implementing these changes and people would see which party was ready to take decisions in the moment of truth.