Those who are seriously living according to their Christian beliefs have the "moral obligation" to inform themselves fully about all the effects of medicinal products, the bishops said today, in the wake of the morning-after pill debate.
In case of scientific doubt on how these medicinal products work, the decision must always be in favour of the protection of life, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said in a pastoral letter circulated to the press this morning.
The life of the human being, from the very first days of its existence, can be threatened when pills or other medicines are taken with the aim that the life that has been conceived in the womb is destroyed. The effect of certain pills in certain circumstances can be abortifacient, they warned.
The law must protect the defence of every human life from its conception to death, especially when a person is in a vulnerable or disadvantageous position.
The Church's fresh warning comes weeks after the Women’s Rights Foundation said that denying access to emergency contraceptives, including the morning-after pill, is in breach of women’s fundamental rights.
The bishops also warned against the promotion of euthanasia, insisting it can never be in the best interest of the patient.
The exploitation of the environment that enriches the few and steals from the many is also typical of this culture
“We understand the psychological and the physical suffering that the patient and his or her relatives would be going through. However, we also believe that the value of human life does not depend on whether the person is healthy or satisfied with the quality of his or her life.”
The bishops cited Pope Francis who recently spoke against the “throwaway culture”, a culture which prioritises money over people.
This culture kills unborn babies, abandons the old, forsakes people with disabilities, values people according to their potential contribution to the economy and their consumption, and is unjust with the poor. The exploitation of the environment that enriches the few and steals from the many is also typical of this culture.
The bishops also said the Church in Malta will be working with the Hospice Movement on Dar il-Ħniena (House of Mercy), a new residence that will provide high quality services specialising in palliative care to terminally ill patients.