“Foetus” should be included in the definition of ‘minor’ within the Child Protection Act, according to the Opposition.
Speaking in Parliament during a discussion concerning financial estimates of the Embryo Protection Authority for this year, Nationalist Party MP Claudio Grech said the government had an opportunity to reveal its true intentions.
The Child Protection Act would soon start being discussed and the inclusion of “foetus” (tarbija fil-ġuf) in the definition would send a strong signal that the unborn deserved protection as human beings.
The Child Protection Act has been promised since 2014. Social workers and foster carers are calling for its immediate enactment.
He also called for the strengthening of social services, whether provided by NGOs or the government, so that pregnant women who were facing difficult times and considering abortion, were supported to pull through.
Mr Grech meanwhile urged for a balance between the right to life, which he said was supreme, and supporting prospective parents with infertility issues.
He referred to the Embryo Protection Act as introduced in 2012, which he said had reached an ethical balance between the needs of prospective parents…