The Malta Humanist Association this morning affirmed its stand in favour of the introduction of divorce in Malta.

"Society is made up of individuals, so the common good of a society must flow from the protection of individual rights. The idea that the common good is worth the price of a few individuals is a dangerous one. Anything can be declared to be "for the common good", and so this argument can be – and has been – used to justify all forms of oppression and discrimination in the past," the association said.

"Democracy is not a case of the majority imposing its will upon the rest. If we provide social services for the needy, it is not because the majority of the population needs these services, but because we are a society made up of many individuals, including those who are in need. We are also a society in which most marriages are strong, but that does not mean we can ignore or overlook the marriages that fail.

"Divorce provides a way forward for those whose marriage has ended. Just as the minority who need social services rely on the rest of society to make them available, so too the minority who need a divorce is relying on a Yes vote on the 28th May."