Malta is sadly the only EU nation that still outlaws this heinous practice of abortion. What was once Christian Europe has now succumbed to the wave of pragmatic secularism. Thankfully, public opinion in Malta is still opposed to the ‘culture of death’. But there is no room for complacency. The not-so-subtle onslaught on this core value is being played out with the same insidious and dishonest callousness adopted elsewhere.
The usual strategy refers to pregnant mothers whose life is at risk. This is a red herring. In the rare cases where mother and child are at risk, the utmost is done to save both. Should a mother choose life-saving treatment, say for cancer, treatment would not be denied to her, even if the child dies as an unavoidable consequence. Having to lose a foetus in an attempt to save a mother’s life is not an abortion.
Even in the sad reality of rape victims, eliminating the foetus is not justified. The introduction of abortion as a so-called solution has opened the floodgates that have dehumanised society.
It is an undisputed scientific fact that life begins at conception. This is why the Church unequivocally upholds the value of life from conception and that is why it is an embarrassing voice in the culture that legalises abortion.
Millions of embryos and foetuses are being used, abused, destroyed and experimented on remorselessly. The statistics are shocking. In China alone, 14 million abortions were carried out in one year alone. In UK, circa 600 abortions are carried out daily.
Meanwhile, prenatal testing has given rise to the mass killing of unwanted foetuses on a staggering scale. Most babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. Babies with club feet are being aborted late into pregnancy. Even babies with corrective conditions such as harelip and cleft palate are aborted thanks to these technologies which identify them in the womb.
The chilling procedure of prenatal testing for sex selection has led to the elimination of millions of female children, creating enormous population imbalances, most notably in China, where communities are being depopulated as many men cannot find women to marry. Due to gendercide, in 2010, it was recorded that there is a surplus of 35 million men in China.
The barbaric disregard for the sanctity of life has also spawned IVF techniques that squander embryos on a gargantuan scale. Discarded embryos are not only used in stem cell research, but also in food, cosmetics and vaccines. The media seem remarkably reluctant in publicising these facts.
Advances in the use of adult stem cells has also removed the need to use embryonic and foetal tissue for medical purposes. Using one’s own tissue also eliminates the risk of rejection.
To compound matters even further, eggs and sperm of third parties have been employed in fertility treatments that have spawned sperm banks, ova donors and surrogacy. The confusion that has been unleashed is beyond belief. Ova donors are now realising that these procedures lead to unforeseen complications. The problems of surrogate motherhood have been in the press for a while with the recent case of an Australian couple rejecting one of the twins ‘produced’ because it was suffering of Down’s syndrome.
The ethical vacuum in which these life and death issues are being manipulated needs addressing seriously as never before. Fortunately, the revulsion against abortion and the callous disregard for embryos is rising, especially in the US.
We have a grave responsibility to raise public awareness of what is really at stake, especially among young people who are seduced with the false concept of high-sounding slogans as ‘pro-choice’ and ‘sexual and reproductive health’.
As the late Cardinal Hume said: “Ours may well be an age of outstanding discovery and achievement, but it is also an age of deep confusion. We are indeed clever, but not so wise. It is true wisdom which we need right now.”
A Life Network has been set up in Malta. It can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/lifenetworkeu?fref=ts and http://lifenetwork.eu/. The network needs your support. It is up to us all to prove that we really uphold the right to life.
klausvb@gmail.com