After clearing the way for divorce legislation, lawyer Deborah Schembri may set her sights on other laws which she says need changing.

“I’m very passionate about bioethical issues. We don’t have laws on organ donation, IVF, surrogate motherhood and artificial insemination. We have a lot of laws that need to be addressed,” she told The Times shortly after a press conference yesterday afternoon in which she was applauded throughout, particularly when asked about pursuing a political career.

She added, however, that for now she would go back to her studies which she had put off to begin campaigning.

Surrounded by the protagonists of the pro-divorce movement, she reiterated that she would keep her “options open”.

“It would be nice if I could do something to help people, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be a politician,” she said, adding that she had not yet been approached by either political party.

Dr Schembri said the referendum result sent a message to politicians: that they need to listen more closely to their electorate.

She said the “yes” victory showed that the Maltese were altruistic and stood in genuine solidarity with those who were less fortunate in their marriages. However, she pointed out that many voters said yes because they wanted to assert the separation between Church and state.

Visibly ecstatic, Dr Schembri thanked everyone who helped in the campaign, giving a special mention to the behind-the-scenes backing from members of the clergy.

Referring to the Church’s “apology” issued on Saturday night, she spoke about the importance of keeping one’s faith separate from the Church hierarchy.

She wondered whether the Church’s apology also applied to her since she had been disallowed from defending clients in Church tribunals.

“I was hurt,” she pointed out, adding that this action breached her clients’ fundamental human rights to have a fair trial with the lawyer of their choice. She added that the state had a responsibility to review its agreement with the Church on annulment cases.

The divorce movement will remain active until the legislation is approved in Parliament, she said, adding that although everyone had become good friends, they did not agree on every single issue.

However, she appealed to people to become more active and vocal in calling for their rights.

“When you have the right agenda, irrespective of who is backing you, the agenda will go through,” she said, adding that partisan politics seemed to have been put aside on this issue.

She said this was a “new way of doing things”.

“Politics is there to help people; when politicians stop helping people they should seek other jobs.”

Asked if Malta was more European after this vote, Dr Schembri said: “We’re as European as we were yesterday. But finally we’ve recognised this,” she said to laughter and applause.

Asked about his political future, divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said he had taken “no decisions yet” and pointed out that there were two years left until the next general election.

But rather than using the opportunity to assert his loyalty to his party, Dr Pullicino said: “I will keep my options open too”, referring to Dr Schembri’s reply.

Meanwhile, Labour MP Evarist Bartolo said this was a David vs Goliath encounter where the people’s needs did not need “money, spin or excessive billboards” to be convincing.

“Political parties need to be in touch with people and connected to their real needs,” he said.