Embryo testing law approved, with three PN MPs voting against
Three PN MPs voted against a new IVF law that otherwise enjoyed inter-party support on Wednesday.
It is understood that opposition MPs Adrian Delia, Alex Borg, and Ivan Bartolo voted against the reform, which had made Conservative members of the Opposition uncomfortable. Members of Parliament voted electronically.
The new IVF law will allow pre-implantation genetic testing to allow doctors to look out for certain conditions such as Huntingtons Disease.
It was a key promise of the Labor Party in the March general election.
Prime Minister Robert Abela had promised to carry out the reform in the first 100 days of his administration which came to an end on Wednesday.
An Opposition amendment has been made to what is known as polar body testing.
This type of test takes place on unfertilized oocytes.
When the law was called to a vote on Wednesday, it was called a division and Opposition MP Adrian Delia asked deputies to vote individually.
He stated that he is pro-life – from start to finish and “so I will be voting against the motion”.
Delia had hinted that she would be voting against the reform in a post on social media on Sunday.
On Wednesday, PN health spokesman Stephen Spiteri said he was speaking on behalf of the rest of the group that will vote in favor of the motion.
As a health care professional, he said, he trusted other health care professionals to make the right decisions.
The final vote was 66 MPs in favor and three against.
PN MPs Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Chris Said, and Jerome Caruana Cilia were not present for the vote.
In a tweet shortly after the vote, Health Minister Chris Fearne thanked all MPs who voted in favor of the reform.
On Sunday, Grech said that, after the government took a number of amendments tabled by the PN, the opposition decided to vote in favor of the law.
But a number of PN deputies spoke to them Times of Malta earlier this week they said they felt the law still goes against their ethical principles.
Faced with journalists on their way through parliament none of the three MPs gave any comments.
Delia said he had nothing to add to his statement in the House. Bartolo also declined to comment while Borg refused to even interact with the media, and asked an aide to tell reporters not to approach him.
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