‘Give a voice to the unborn’
A massive crowd gathered in Valletta yesterday afternoon to protest the government’s proposal to introduce embryo freezing tied with anonymous adoption.
People held placards reading ‘I am not an object’ and ‘Don’t freeze me’.
The demonstration was organized by pro-life group ‘The Life Network’, who were also against the Morning After Pill, which was legalised last year.
Many older people were in attendance, together with many religious laypersons, priests and nuns.
Parliament is debating the introduction of embryo freezing tied to anonymous adoption, opening up IVF treatment to gay couples and individuals, and the introduction of sperm and ovum banks. Decriminalization of non-commercial surrogacy is also being proposed.
It is understood that the protestors mainly take issue with the “objectification” of human life through embryo freezing and the ethical implication tied to the anonymous adoption of embryos.
Those in attendance held white flowers to represent those who do not have a voice. One woman said the flowers represent the embryos that would be frozen.
The flowers were later placed in front of Parliament as a message of protest.
In comments to this newsroom, one protester remarked that embryos were not objects, and human life was not being respected through the freezing of embryos.
Other placards read ‘Shouldn’t I know who my mother is?’
The crowds sang ‘Hallelujah’ along with a band present. There was a light atmosphere with everybody singing and clapping hands.
One nun could be seen holding baby shoes to “give a voice to the unborn.” Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Bishop Mario Grech, Archbishop emeritus Paul Cremona and other Church dignitaries were present, as was PN leader Adrian Delia and his whole family, together with former leader
Simon Busuttil, MPs David Agius, Clyde Puli, Kristy Debono and her husband Jean-Paul.
The first speaker, Dr Joseph Mizzi said he was in favour of life and he was not alone. He stressed couples facing fertility issues deserved support and IVF treatment. He said he was against embryo freezing, because it went against the rights of parents and babies themselves.
He said that embryos would be seen as products, with some chosen to be born and some arbitrarily chosen to be frozen.
He said many of the frozen embryos ended up dying, and for those which are adopted, this was discrimination by the parents.
A married man with two children also spoke at the protest. He had been born in an institute in Romania and was adopted by a Maltese woman. He spoke of how a chapter in his life remained open until he found his biological parents, despite receiving a lot of love at home.
Protesters are against anonymous adoption of embryos because they feel the embryo is being discriminated against and that it has a right to know who it’s biological parents are.
A British doctor named Joanna Ross, who Miriam Sciberras said is a sibling of about 300 people as part of anonymous embryo protection, addressed the crowd. She spoke of her sadness about her children not knowing who their maternal grandparents are due to the anonymous embryo adoption.
She called anonymous donor conception a “social experiment,” saying it was not normal.
“Anonymous donation is so wrong,” she said.
She spoke of the problems of not knowing our genetic family when health issues arise and medical donations are needed.
Miriam Sciberras took the stand to say the issue goes beyond partisan politics, adding that the majority of people in Malta weren’t against human life.
She said that embryo freezing was only acceptable in exceptional situations, as is currently the law.