The government’s information page on contraception has been edited to remove a reference to the Catholic Church amid a debate over the possible introduction of the morning-after pill.

Until yesterday, the website used to say that the Catholic Church considered the morning-after pill a form of abortion, and, since abortion was illegal in Malta, the pill was not licensed nationally.

The website now only says that forms of the morning-after pill are considered as an “abortifacient”.

The removal of references to the Church come on the back of a judicial protest filed by the Women’s Rights Foundation calling on the government to allow the licensing of emergency contraception.

In a post on its Facebook page, the foundation asked why withholding information from the public was a good idea and what prompted the page update.

Questions sent to the Health Ministry have not yet been replied.