All government members are against abortion, said Labour Party MP Etienne Grech in Parliament today, during a discussion concerning financial estimates of the Embryo Protection Authority for this year.

The Child Protection Act, which has been promised since 2014, would soon start being discussed and the inclusion of foetus, in the definition would send a strong signal that the unborn deserves protection as human beings.

Grech provided figures about IVF treatment throughout 2018, which in all there were 246 cycles, 56 of which resulted in pregnancies (a 23 per cent success rate). He said that whilst research on embryos, genetic modification and surrogacy are still illegal, there is room for discussion about the prospective legislation of surrogacy.

The reality is that there are still couples out there who are finding it difficult to become parents, despite the amendments and there are couples who go abroad to undergo treatment that is not available in Malta, said PL MP Rosianne Cutajar.

She stressed that there needs to be a discussion about the introduction of surrogacy, especially for those couples who cannot benefit from IVF procedures. She said that she looked forward to a mature discussion about amendments that would allow pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.

PN MP Claudette Buttigieg called for more sensitivity towards couples who did not want to have children and those who could not have children.