Call on MLP to take stand on abortion proposal

The pro-life lobby The Gift of Life has appealed to the Labour Party and specifically its leader Alfred Sant, to respond at once to the "national request" and take a stand on the proposal to entrench the anti-abortion law in the Constitution.

If the Chamber of Advocates and the Malta Union of Professional Psychologists welcomed the proposal, then the MLP had a social responsibility to take a stand on this issue, Gift Of Life spokesperson Paul Vincenti said.

The group appealed to all Members of Parliament and especially to the members of the MLP's executive to be courageous enough to stand up for life and emulate MPs Marie Louise Coleiro and José Herrera.

These two "deserve the praise of the people and we hold these men and women of truth and distinguished morals in high estimation, because they have shown that this matter is truly above political credence," the group said.

The Gift of Life appealed to the public to contact MLP officials to air their discontent with how the party was being non-committal. It claimed that research had shown that MLP supporters were also in favour of the constitutional amendment.

"This matter affects us all and Gift of Life is certain that the moral fabric of the MLP is still intact, despite worrying signals from Dr Sant."

Writing in The Times last Wednesday, Dr Sant said that abortion was nowhere close to the top action priorities that Malta needs, but underlined that his party was four square against abortion.

Contacted yesterday, MLP general secretary Jason Micallef strongly condemned the group's statement, saying it was shameful to politicise such a delicate issue.

Reiterating that his party was totally against abortion, Mr Micallef said the parliamentary group will take a decision based on a report it has commissioned.

The pro-life lobby said that many Maltese would be disillusioned if the government was to give up its efforts at this stage, despite the difficult situation they face with a wall of silence from the MLP camp.

"We understand that the government can only do so much to promote this matter of importance to the Maltese yet any suggestion from the government of giving up this drive is not acceptable to Gift of Life."

On Saturday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the government will not impose a "guillotine" nor would the world collapse if its wish to entrench abortion in the Constitution failed to come through.

Mr Vincenti said the government has lobbied hard for other important issues of national concern in the past, and he expected it to continue working at the same level of commitment.

Any suggestion that it may simply give up on the issue eventually was "unacceptable", given that so much had been gained so far, with popular support for the amendment. The government had a duty to follow this proposal through.

Gift of Life have plans to develop a "Life Centre" based here where it intends to invite all international groups and organisations that work for the protection of life to an annual "life" seminar.

Estimating a gathering of between 3,000 to 4,000 delegates annually for a four-day seminar, the group aims to turn Malta into the coordination centre for global life strategies.

"What clearer message could Malta send to Europe and indeed the world once we have taken all the legal measures available to our politicians to defend life, especially life in its most defenseless form?"