Family lawyer Ray Zammit, medical professor Pierre Schembri Wismayer (right), psychiatrist David Mamo, gynaecologist Mark Formosa and theologian Nadia Delicata sat on the panel. Photos: Chris Sant Fournier
Medical professor Pierre Schembri Wismayer has warned that amendments to the Embryo Protection Act may give rise to incest and genetic illnesses.
He made the warning in light of proposed amendments that allow couples to freeze their embryos.
Under the proposed amendments, gamete donation will remain anonymous.
The professor came under fire after the Embryo Protection Authority said he had “alleged the success rate for IVF treatment was tampered with in order to favour amendments to the Embryo Protection Act”.
Prof. Schembri Wismayer took to social media to write: “Interestingly in 2014, the official documents from the Maltese embryo authority say that the success rate for all cycles started was close to 29 per cent, and if you only consider cycles where embryos were transferred, was close to 31 per cent.
“I wonder why it has gone down since then (IVF experts are saying now success is lower than 20 per cent). Maybe to encourage statistics for the new law?” he asked.
Speaking at a debate at the university chaplaincy on the consequences of the proposed amendments, Prof. Schembri Wismayer said the law was being rushed through Parliament.
He was joined by several experts in the field, including family lawyer Ray Zammit, gynaecologist Mark Formosa and moral theologian Nadia Delicata.
Dr Delicata noted that the mindset behind the current Embryo Protection Act was the common good, adding that IVF would not solve the problem of infertility.“We need to stop and reflect on the consequences with every technological advancement,” she said.
Adding that she was insulted by the idea of surrogacy, she said that it would lead to “double objectification”, wherein both the embryo and the surrogate would be reduced to objects.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Children agreed with the proposed amendments.
Commissioner Pauline Miceli noted that the amendments protected children’s rights to an individual identity and their right to stable and loving care.
Embryo freezing provisions included in the amendments created a framework which would maximise the chances of individual embryos surviving and developing in a healthy manner, Ms Miceli said. Children born through embryo donation would have the right to know the identity of their donor parents once they turned 16, she noted.
“The fact that the Bill proposes that gamete donation by the same donor can happen only once preserves the uniqueness of the child’s biological identity,” Ms Miceli concluded.