As the battle of the billboards continues, a news analyst got himself into a sticky spot after taking personal offence at the pro-divorce message which runs a script along the lines of “We’re forced to cohabit: Are our children bastards?”

The commentator of the Campus FM morning news review, Simon Mercieca, lambasted the billboards of the yes camp, especially the one where children of cohabiting people are labelled “bastards”.

This provoked a letter asking for a right of reply from the yes camp. The station instead offered an on-air discussion, held yesterday, between Mr Mercieca and Michael Falzon from the yes movement.

“I said these things because this is something that hurts me personally and that is why I said things somewhat forcefully,” Dr Mercieca said.

“How can you accept the terminology ‘bastards’? You are stigmatising the children of those who chose to cohabit, like me, and this is unacceptable,” Dr Mercieca argued.

The slogan, he said, hurt him personally and would continue to hurt him each time he read it on a billboard.

Mr Falzon said the key of the message was when it referred to forced cohabitation and was not addressed at those, like Dr Mercieca, who chose to cohabit.

“The rationale of this billboard is that there are people who have to cohabit because there is no other option. They wish to marry and regulate their relationship with the state,” Mr Falzon said.