Forum Żgħażagħ Laburisti terms embryo law ‘archaic’

The Forum Żgħażagħ Laburisti (FZL) has said that it views the current embryo protection law “archaic and restrictive”, and that it therefore acknowledged the need to revise the law.

“We feel that the dialogue on the matter should be factual and impartial and unfettered by sensationalism,” a statement by the group reads.

The group added that it had organized a debate among students on the matter, which was attended by various experts in the field, including health parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne.

The debate is the first in a series with the theme “Responsible Progress”.

Fearne said an inter-ministerial committee had been selected to analyse the current law and opinions submitted on the matter throughout the summer.

“The current law has various shortcomings and current statistics show that not many babies were born through current methods.”

He added that recent developments in the technology had created a ray of hope for those couples who have trouble conceiving naturally and that the current law did not reflect these developments.

The group added that it believed the government should facilitate the process as much as possible and follow in technological developments.

“We think that the legal definition of what constitutes a family should be extended to include homosexual couples,” it said adding that this was the only way to ensure that the law reflects the current social needs.”