President of Malta George Vella once again refused to say who will be signing the IVF bill into law, but indicated that he did his utmost to influence the Members of Parliament in the right direction.

During an interview with Andrew Azzopardi on 103 Malta’s Heart on Saturday, Vella did not specify the ways he influenced the MPs.

On Wednesday, Parliament approved a bill that will see the introduction of pre-implantation genetic testing that will screen for nine serious health conditions. Foetuses found to carry any of these conditions will be frozen.

The bill was approved by both sides of the House, although three PN MPs voted against, despite not having been given a free vote.

On Thursday, President Vella insisted that the new IVF bill will be signed into law, but was not clear on whether he would be signing it himself.

On Friday, he again refused to say who would be signing when asked by The Malta Independent.

Vella has been repeatedly asked on whether he will be signing the IVF bill into law himself, but up till now, he is not drawn into committing himself to signing the controversial law, simply stating that “it will be signed.”

During the interview aired Saturday, Vella said that “on a station like this, it is difficult to publicly explain what was done before the law was passed. Therefore, what was discussed and said.”

“Maybe these things will eventually come out in the open in the future, but not now,” Vella added.

Vella was once again pressed by Azzopardi for his position on the matter, but Vella kept on insisting that this will be signed without stating by who.

It was also highlighted by Vella that the IVF bill is a very delicate and serious subject.

Vella said that “if it were abortion or euthansia there would have been no discussion. I’ve already said it. I would have resigned. However, we are not at that stage. This was the same situation with the cannabis law, thus one must ensure that everything is considered.”

In 2018, after stepping down as an MP, George Vella had criticised IVF changes, calling them “a complete travesty of ethics, morality, and human dignity.”

The President had also spoken out against abortion, saying he would rather resign than sign a law that introduces the practice in Malta.

In 2019, President Vella had also highlighted his reservations about the extent to which the legal use of cannabis should be extended beyond the grounds of treatment. But in December 2021 he signed the law legalising cannabis for recreational use.