Editorial

The Malta Unborn Child Movement marked Pro-Life Day yesterday, the main activity being a Celebration of Life event at St John’s Co-Cathedral, in Valletta. The occasion once again served as an opportunity to strongly affirm society’s commitment to promote the value of every human life.

Set up in 2004, the movement is inspired by the respect and dignity due to all human beings, always and everywhere, from the moment of their conception until born and after. From its member organisations, now totalling 45, it expects an undertaking to promote quality life for the unborn child by raising awareness, through their activities, about the dignity, rights, protection and development of the unborn child in Malta and beyond.

The movement acknowledges the Maltese people are repeatedly showing, in one social survey after another and by means of official declarations in Parliament, by the civil authorities and by civil society, they value highly human life from the moment of conception. It is also a fact they recognize themselves as leading protectors of the unborn child.

Nonetheless, there is always scope to increase awareness for instance about the unique privilege enjoyed by both parents as equal partners in the conception of the unborn child and the special opportunity for both parents to help the unborn child – with all the support society can give them – develop its full potential and its personality, from the very beginning of life.

It is therefore good to see that the movement’s aims include that of making individuals and the whole of society more conscious of the big responsibility of both parents and of the political, medical, industrial, legal, social, educational and other agents in protecting the unborn child from all physical, mental and emotional harm until born.

In today’s world, legal, permissive abortion has become a fact of life deeply embedded and normalised in many consciences and countries. However, this is not the only problem. The risk that not all parents understand or shoulder well enough their responsibility towards their offspring is becoming all the more evident perhaps, unfortunately, also among us.

Moreover, there are problems such as those of children who end up not healthy or happy by, for example, being exposed to alcohol, drugs, smoking or other substances the mother takes when pregnant.

All this shows there is always room for stronger and better emphasis on the value of human life, the complementary responsibilities of both parents towards children and the wellbeing of mothers and children during pregnancy and after.

On receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who many people consider as the spiritual president of the pro-life movements in the world, had the courage to say that “it is the principle of abortion that endangers peace in the world”. There is much truth in this because what true peace can there be without respect for life?

In this context, the celebration of Pro-Life Day should also be seen as an occasion for people’s representatives to seek to commit themselves always better as veritable promoters of the interests of the unborn child also in international scenes.

Elementary coherence requires those who truly seek peace to energetically safeguard life. Celebrating the key value of human life through a genuine and constant effort to protect it also means a contribution towards authentic peace. This, of course, necessitates looking beyond our shores where human life has been and is still being lost at the hands of proud, stubborn, greedy and power-hungry political leaders and criminals.