From Mr C Puli

Raphael Vassallo’s article entitled Vote Harry, get Tonio (TMIS, 17 December), mistakenly concludes that my signing of the Gift of Life’s petition is inconsistent with the conclusions that I have proposed to the Social Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives which, by the way, has nothing to do with the Bioethics Consultative Council.

The recommendations, which have been approved by the Social Affairs Committee, unequivocally state that the embryo should be granted legal status at a point that does not go beyond the stage of conception. The report defines conception as the moment where the process of fertilization is completed, that is, when the fusion of the pro nuclei (amphimixis) has occurred. This fusion creates the first cell of a new, genetically unique, human being. It is wrong to assume that the Committee concluded that “the human person begins…between 20 and 24 hours after fertilization” for syngamy or amphimixis is nothing but the culmination of the process of fertilization, occurring a number of hours after the sperm penetrates the ovum, initiating the process of fertilization.

The Gift of Life, as can be verified on its internet site http://www.lifemalta.org/pet01.html, is inviting people to agree to the following statement: “I call on the Government and the Opposition to work together to clearly protect, through our Constitution, the right to life of the unborn child from the moment of conception.”

I signed the statement, as written, because it is fully consistent with the recommendations of the report I authored and the recommendations I approved. It would therefore be unjustified to delve into erroneous interpretations and assumptions.

Finally, I take the opportunity to reiterate the Committee’s stance on assisted procreation, in particular In Vitro Fertilization. The technology has been available in Malta since 1991 and has not yet been regulated. The Social Affairs Committee is suggesting regulation through a legal framework and not the prohibition of the technology per se. Legislation should primarily protect the interests of the eventual child, in addition to the protection of the eventual parents who might also be in need of assistance due to their vulnerability at the moment. We have come to this conclusion after eight months of listening to evidence provided by experts and further research. The report is available to the public on http://www.parliament.gov.mt/information/Papers/Biotechnolog.htm.

Clive Puli MP

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs