Paul Vincenti, Gift of Life, Mosta
Of politics and abortion (1)
Helena Dalli (April 20) starts a personal attack on me by stating that Gift of Life (GoL) brought Fr Dennis Wilde to Malta "from the United States to tell us, among other things, that abortion is bad". She is wrong. GoL never invited Fr Wilde to Malta. Fr Wilde most likely came as part of his organisation's own international pro-life work and is not associated to GoL. His visit was coordinated by a separate entity.
Ms Dalli goes on to say that she does not know of anyone who is suggesting the de-legalisation of abortion in Malta. I beg to differ. A candidate from her own party contesting the upcoming MEP elections, Sharon Ellul Bonici, commented on a public Facebook group, set up to give a voice to those who are pro-choice for abortion in Malta. Among other references against the proposed right to life constitutional amendment, she wrote: "The state should not constrain a woman from terminating her pregnancy". (Ms Ellul Bonnici has publicly declared that she is not campaigning for abortion to be introduced.)
What she said meant that the state should not have laws that make abortion illegal. We spoke up about this, much to the disagreement of this candidate. We found her reaction odd, given that GoL simply repeated what she had already publicly expressed. She even accused GoL of blackmailing her, yet she never went to the police to make any charges as one may have expected her to do following these serious allegations.
Ms Dalli goes on to say: "Why is GoL obsessed with pasting bits of the Criminal Code to our Constitution? It doesn't make sense and that's why there are people, including myself, who suspect that Gift of Life's pointless campaign is being stepped up because an election is close. They've been there before".
Wrong again. GoL never asked for parts of the Criminal Code to be entrenched into the Constitution. We have consistently campaigned for article 33 of the Constitution to be amended to guarantee that the right to life clearly includes the unborn child. Surely Ms Dalli is not opposed to the unborn child having the right to life!
Apparently, Ms Dalli sees some advantage in politicising this issue and linking it with elections. This is not the case. Surely she would not expect us to remain silent about candidates who are a threat to the unborn child's right to life. Her suspicions are pointless.
The amendment to Malta's Constitution is indeed necessary because political pressure to legalise abortion is slowly increasing in Malta. There are now a number of columnists and journalists who are actively using their medium to promote abortion in Malta. The Facebook group mentioned earlier, set up by a columnist from another paper, is a clear example of this.
There has never been a more important moment in our history to come together politically and do what we can to protect the unborn child. The amendment has not happened because the PL has not taken an official position on the right to life amendment. To go through, the amendment would need two-thirds of the House. The PN has expressed support for the amendment but for it to take place the PL needs to support it as well.
We collected over 39,000 signatures in favour of such an amendment, from citizens who come from all political backgrounds. Eighty-five per cent of the population wants the right to life amendment. I am sure that if the unborn could speak they would too. I appeal to Ms Dalli to refrain from lowering these values to the level of political brinkmanship and personal attacks. The Maltese are tired of this. Citizens have a right to know which of the candidates are pro-life. Only then can they choose their preferred representatives.
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Gerry Cowie
Apr 26th 2009, 15:57
@William P Flynn. I do not know what it is like where you are in Australia but I know that even the architect of UK abortion laws, Lord Steele, never intended that his legislation should go quite as far as it did.
I am interested to see that suddenly secularism is "holier than thou"! Secularism would never do this and secularism would never do that......but secularism is wholly in favour of the destruction of human life and that, for those who support the value of human life, is just too much!
It is always your policy to try to shock people into following what you call your "argument" by quoting any extreme or unusual examples. This does not justify abortion. It does not uphold your "theory" that the modern world needs abortion, in respect of which the people of Malta wait with baited breath for the evidence you have to support such a claim.
You are most incorrect to suggest that a blob of cells is not human. You started as "blob of cells" but were not denied the right to life by your parents. Calling it something other than what it is - HUMAN - does not change reality!
Kevin E.Bonici
Apr 25th 2009, 17:36
@ Robert Buttigieg - I think Simon Busuttil is far from an expert on the Lisbon treaty (or the rejected EU constitution, which is essentially the same). You are living in the past. What I am telling you lies in the future.
William P Flynn
Apr 25th 2009, 09:56
@GerryCowie
Secularism would save 50,000 Filipino women killed every year because of the hold your pope, his bishops and priests have on those who govern millions of uneducated poor Filipinos.
This is all because the pope and his lieutenants' beliefs that a blob of cells, a growth in a womb, is human. This silly, unscientific notion is killing real living breathing walking mothers and making orphans of real living breathing walking children.
Every cleric from the cardinal down is telling Filipino women that taking contraceptives is abortion. Bishop Ontiago said contraceptives cause deadly cancers. These are downright lies.
Secularism would never do that.
Robert Buttigieg
Apr 25th 2009, 08:36
@ Kevin Ellul Bonici
You are mistaken. That is not what Simon Busuttil is saying and I think he is the authority on EU matters. I recently even heard Irish Catholic bishops soliciting the acceptance of the Lisbon treaty, they have now realised they were mistaken on the abortion issue before.
Kev E. Bonici
Apr 25th 2009, 01:07
@ Tony Borg
The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights has the “same legal value as the Treaties” (Art. 6[1] TEU). This means it supersedes protocols and declarations. If the ECJ is presented with a case it takes this into full account. Why do you think the Irish government is seeking a guarantee on abortion? Their protocol is annexed to the Lisbon treaty - yet they still seek a guarantee. All the ECJ would need is a case to rule on - then it will have to interpret the Charter in its own light, which includes equality and non-decrimination among ALL EU citizens. This Charter has to be uniformly applied. It would be the ECJ's duty to overrule the protocol. It has already defined 'abortion' as a service, so the direction is clear - as is the EU norm we all know so well. Let Lisbon and the Charter take effect - that would allow the protocol to be tested in the ECJ.
Joe Grima (Brussels)
Apr 24th 2009, 21:10
@Robert Attard If you look in the BIN IN THE CLINIC you will see more than a few zygotic cells, but rather tiny hands, feet, and faces.
Thanks.
Gerry Cowie
Apr 24th 2009, 20:07
@Pat Muscat - The "pro-life brigade" do not condemn others. They do have compassion for both mother and unborn child. Your biblical quotes do not serve any purpose other than as out of context biblical quotes. Please provide clear evidence and full facts about the Brazilian case in order to support your case.
@William P Flynn - please note that the agenda of pro life groups is to uphold and value human life from conception to natural death. Your secularist approach should praise this approach as it allows all people the right to life. What is your agenda? Again you pour scorn on the church to try to make a point, which makes your argument very weak indeed! In a perfect world, Sir, everybody would have a right to life and secularists would be powerless to prevent it! Alas, the world is not perfect!
@Jeffrey Tabone - your wrongly assume that ALL victims of rape do not in fact love their children. If your argument about cruelty were taken up then millions in this world would be deemed "imperfect" people and face death. Hitler was terrifyingly successful in attempting to eliminate all imperfections and anybody who stood in his way!
Joe Grima (Brussels)
Apr 24th 2009, 18:27
@Robert Attard Dear Robert, A miscarriage is beyond a woman's will and power, and against their will. They go through a bad time after such an experience. Nobody is calling pro-choice supporters 'Nazi monsters'. Do you suggest instead 'Angels of mercy'?
Jeffrey Tabone
Apr 24th 2009, 15:57
@ Mr. Grima
my mother could not make a choice of getting rid of me because the state did not allow her to choose as is the case now.
with regards to vandals and drug dealers and let's include killers also sure there are many but thoses acts are illegal in ALL countries, whilst abortion isn't!
With regards to seeing a clinic bin, whilst i did not see one in reality i did see pictures and photos. no they do not make a nice picture but that is a choice some women take as i believe it is their right. where abortion is leagl there is a certain time frame where ane can be performed. if under the law till that time abortion is considered legal than legally the mother's rights LEGALLY superside the feotus.
If you had to decide who had to live between your wife and your to be born child who would you choose? i would choose my wife and that to me defines the whole argument. now you won't agree and i respect that would i be pretending too much if you were to reciprocate the respect of a diverse opinion?
Muscat.Pat
Apr 24th 2009, 15:45
"He who is without sin cast the first stone" "Do not judge lest you too will be judged" The Pro-life brigade should take heed of what Our Lord Jesus said to pretentious and "holier than thou" people. How do the Pro-life people- who are probably live the good life- know what other "sinners" are passing through? A case in point is the 8 year old Brazilian girl who was raped continuously by her step-father and ended doing an abortion. Brazilian Bishops excomunicated her, whilst European cardinals and bishops declared that compassion should have been used in this case. And you, pro-life "holier than thou brigade," what do you say on compassion?
John Samut-Tagliaferro
Apr 24th 2009, 15:00
".....the de-legalisation of abortion in Malta." Mr. Vincenti - do you really know what you are talking about?
Robert Attard
Apr 24th 2009, 13:54
I am sick of people treating pro-choice supporters as some kind of nazis monsters
William P Flynn
Apr 24th 2009, 13:47
The pope,bishops,priests,MrVincenti and all of us men arguing about abortions will NEVER need one.
Meantime, as usual, millions of catholic women, including half a million Filipino women, are ignoring everyone, defying their pope,bishops and priests and doing what needs to be done when faced with an unwanted,dangerous or defective pregnancy.
Catholic women living in enlightened countries can obtain legal abortions.
Unfortunately,Filipinos have illegal backyard abortions.
10% of Filipino women undergoing abortions(500,000per annum) develop complications and 50,000per annum die(UN figures) from the abortion or during the next pregnancy;leaving many orphans.
The pope,bishops and priests aggravate the situation by outlawing the use of condoms and all forms of contraceptives.
In a perfect world, no abortions would be necessary.
In a perfect world, the pope,bishops and priests would be tried for crimes against humanity for abusing their religious responsibilities.
Alas the world isn't perfect.
Meantime, the vast majority of governments,many in predominantly Christian countries, decided conscientiously/humanely to legitimize abortion and give women safe medical alternatives.
Maltese women use contraceptives and have EU neighbouring countries to go for abortions; otherwise the cost in women's lives(using the Filipino numbers) would be approximately222 annually.
Some argue Zygotes are human; others disagree. But nobody doubts mothers are.
Robert Attard
Apr 24th 2009, 13:21
woman can just board a low cost flight and just have an abortion in another EU country. It is as simple as that. Killing zygotic cells should not be considered murder. It is ridiculous to assume that a multicellular embryo lacking a CNS should have the same rights as that of the mother.
What about miscarriages (spontaneous abortion )? should the mother be investigated for 'manslaughter'?
Tony Borg
Apr 24th 2009, 12:58
@ P. Vincenti
"Helena Dalli (April 20) starts a personal attack on me .."
Dr Dalli did not attack you personally, she did not even mention your name. I read her article again and she always refers to the group GOL. Maybe you wish to play the victim?
"We collected over 39,000 signatures in favour of such an amendment, from citizens who come from all political backgrounds. Eighty-five per cent of the population wants the right to life amendment."
39,000 is not 85% of our population.
@ Joe Grima
Abortion is illegal in Malta and it will remain so . Read the accession treaty protocol.
Joe Grima (Brussels)
Apr 24th 2009, 11:23
@Jeffrey Tabone
Let's imagine that you are right to say that GoL have no right to impose their belief on those who are in favour of abortion! Don't you think that YOU are IMPOSING the DEATH PENALTY on unborn children???
About the "not so few" who are in favour of abortion: criminals, drug traffickers and vandals are also "not so few". Does that mean that we should legalize their trade?
About your "I'd rather die!!": Your mother had that decision about you in her hand, but she decided not to give you the Death Penalty. I hope you are grateful for that!!!
It is very clear that you, like so many in favour of abortion, have never had the 'delight' of looking into THE BIN IN THE CLINIC!!! I'm sure that if you do get the opportunity, you will change your mind, that is, after you recover from the resulting trauma!
dschembri
Apr 24th 2009, 11:16
Mr. Vincenti, Everyone has a right to their opinion. 39,000 signatures do not speak for the whole population.
Maybe Ms. Ellul Bonnici is of my Opinion that It is up to each individual and not GoL.
Now are you going to say that I am pro-choice for abortion??
I appreciate the work your doing in the awareness campaign but that all it should be Awareness.
Jeffrey Tabone
Apr 24th 2009, 09:52
ok, here we go again. why do people insist on imposing their wish on others. Mr. Vincenti is against abortion. that's all fine and dandy for me why can't it be fine for him that there are some of us (and not as few as some would like to portaray) that do not agree with this constitution amendment . so whilst abortion is deemed cruel in all instances would it not be cruel for the same child to be born with mental disabilities, would it not be cruel for that child product of rape to be looked at by his/her mother with hate. again mr. vincenti and his ilk are free to disagree but to impose their wishes on me!! i'd rather die!!