PD MP Godfrey Farrugia, a former PL Whip in the last legislature, has called for the creation for pro-life Parliamentary group that would be open to MPs from all sides of the House.

Parliament was discussing the budgetary estimates for the Embryo Protection Authority for 2017.

 "Joining this group would mean being in favour of inclusion, a person's dignity and equality rights for the whole span of life, from conception to death irrespective of sexual orientation, whether a person suffers from a disability, is poor,  an embryo inside a mother's womb, or on a petri dish"

"Being a member of a pro-life Parliamentary group, you would speak the truth without going round the matter. Above all you would be in favour of science and universal human rights."

"I am pro-life till death".

Farrugia said he would ask Speaker Anglu Farrugia for guidance on setting up the group and Speaking with the Malta Independent, said he will be presenting a motion in this regard.

Farrugia said that an embryo, at law, is seen as a child. "So when it is said, as the Prime Minister said in 2015, that he would introduce embryo freezing, I was worried. I asked, and asked again,  how can we speak about Civil Rights advances when we are ready to deny a human being from the right to life when the being is in the most vulnerable state of life."

He said that nobody can insinuate that there are conservative members in this room as they look at the fundamental right to life. "The bad is, in itself bad." Turning to Health Minister Chris Fearne, he said: "You, who began life as an embryo who knows the risks of embryo freezing as the scientific methods do not guarantee that every embryo lives, how can you continue pushing this concept. You know that the choice of which embryo would be implanted and the others frozen if this process is accepted, would result in a selection process. You who believe in equality, how can you push this as a minister of health."

He admitted that the success rate abroad is higher than that in Malta, "but are we ready to sacrifice the life of a human being for better statistics? We must be clear in our words, there are no corners when it comes to protecting life. "

He did, however, accuse the PL of being ashamed to state facts about embryo freezing as it fears losing votes.

He appealed for the protection of life and the reconsideration of embryo freezing, calling it murder.