Update 2 | President wades into IVF debate, calls for ‘longer period of reflection’

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has expressed concern over “hostility” in public debates on in-vitro fertilisation and the changes being proposed to the Embryo Protection Act.

In a statement released on Wednesday, 24 hours after the start of a debate in Parliament on the changes put forward by the government, Coleiro Preca offered to mediate while calling for “calm and a longer period of reflection to enable voices to be heard”.

A president making such a pronouncement while a law is being debated in Parliament is unusual and could create political pressure on the government.

Coleiro Preca was careful not to give her views on the delicate subject but her call for a longer period of reflection picks up on the criticism made by the Opposition that government wanted to rush through the changes.

Read also: Embryo freezing saves more embryos than the current system, Fearne says

The president will have to sign the law after it is approved by Parliament, a situation that could lead to a constitutional crisis if she feels the law goes against her conscience.

In Parliament yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne disputed the Opposition's claim that the changes were being rushed, saying that the debate on IVF had been going on for a number of years.

In the last legislature, the Labour government stopped short of presenting the legislation to Parliament after facing dissent among a handful of MPs. This time around, the changes to IVF law enjoy the backing of all the parliamentary group.

The full statement from the president reads as follows:

“President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is concerned by the polarised debates currently under way on the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, as these do not constructively contribute to a holistic understanding of the human, social, ethical, and medical implications at stake.

IVF treatment is a very delicate subject that has to be discussed in a serene environment that balances the heartache childless couples face with the sensitive ethical issues connected with embryos’ rights.

President Coleiro Preca is concerned by the hostility that is unfortunately emanating from these public debates and is appealing for calm and a longer period of reflection to enable voices to be heard. 

President Coleiro Preca is offering to mediate.

She is inviting parliamentarians, civil society, and all stakeholders to come together around a table to have an informed debate that fuses the ethical and moral considerations with scientific expertise for a law that fully reflects the medical potential, and its positive and negative implications for society.”

Pro life group welcomes statement

The statement was welcomed by the Life Network Foundation, who thanked the President for her intervention.

“We agree with the President when she said we need a longer period of reflection so that more voices are heard on the amendments being proposed by the government. IVF is indeed a delicate subject that necessitates a serene environment in which to discuss it, and one that balances the heartbreak of childless couples with ethical questions on embryo rights,” Miriam Sciberras, chairman of the pro life organisation said.

Sciberras said the rights of children born out of IVF had to be considered.

“We invited the parties concerned to take up the President’s invitation for mediation: we need a balanced and factual debate... anyone with a pecuniary interest cannot give a balanced contribution.”

Government is being sensitive to infertile couples

Meanwhile, the Malta Infertility Network, a support group for people dealing with infertility, welcomed the proposed changes to the IVF law, insisting the government was being sensitive to the pain and needs of infertile couples.

However, the network said the changes could have gone further, without elaborating.

The group did not react to the President's call for a longer period of reflection, however noted the hurtful language being used by some in public discussions on the proposed changes. The group joined the President in calling for people to use "measured" words when addressing couples who are undergoing infertility treatment and those who had conceived through gamete donation.