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James Debono
A disagreement between President Edward Fenech Adami and Minister of Justice and Home Affairs Tonio Borg on when human life begins could result in an institutional crisis with the President threatening to resign if a law violating his moral principles is passed.
Although the argument hinges on the few hours between the penetration of the female egg and its fertilisation by the male sperm, it is bound to have serious repercussions on childless couples resorting to in vitro fertilisation.
Ironically the two protagonists in the dispute are both staunch anti-abortions who refer to Catholic values and teachings in the exercise of official duties.
In an interview with the Times, President Fenech Adami declared he would rather resign than sign a law which violates his moral principles.
The President also insisted that human life should be protected from the very moment that the sperm penetrates the egg, putting at odds with Borg, who has repeatedly stated on the media that human life starts some hours later after fertilisation is completed by the fusion of the two nuclei.
The assumption that human life occurs a few hours after actual conception is based on the scientific fact that unification of the two sperm and egg nuclei occurs within a period of 14 to 24 hours, fusing them together to create a zygote – a cell containing the DNA, or the genetic code, of new human life.
If the President were to have his way and the beginning of human life is set at the very start of the conception, it will become virtually impossible for unmarried couples to resort to assisted procreation through IVF which requires medical interventions carried out before the fusion of the nuclei.
The President would not give a direct answer to MaltaToday’s question on whether he would sign a law which conforms to Tonio Borg’s rather than his own moral principles.
“What has been stated during the interview is self-explanatory,” a spokesperson for the President told MaltaToday.
In the interview the President said clearly that he would not sign any law violating his moral principles. “If it’s a question of morals and principles, I would not sign it... and face the consequences, of course.”
Neither Tonio Borg nor President Eddie Fenech Adami denied that there have been contacts between the two sides on this matter.
The possible constitutional impasse seems to have delayed the publication of a white paper on a law regulating bio-technology as proposed by parliament’s social affairs committee which had dedicated 25 sessions held between November 2004 and July 2005 to this issue.
No date has been set for the presentation of the white paper. The matter has not even been discussed at Cabinet level, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs told MaltaToday. “Since the issues involved several ministries, no information can be given at this stage.”
The only consultation which have taken place so far was that between the government and the national bioethics committee.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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