On this special day dedicated to mothers, one cannot but recall those authentic virtues that are tied down to motherhood: sacrifice, commitment, selfless love, perseverance, docility; the list is endless.

This tribute we give to our mothers, dead or alive, on this day, is a reminder that mothers are irreplaceable.

However much we try to imitate them, we can never replace them. With the civil unions’ legislation that was recently passed in Parliament, we tried, in the name of equality, to equate civil unions with marriage, little realising that no law can change what is natural.

No amount of goodwill and dedication from a homosexual partner can take the place of the mother. This is why the majority of Maltese were against the adoption of children by homosexual couples.

We all treasure our mothers. We all are grateful to them.

We all miss our mothers when they are gone and we don’t want anyone to replace them.

Let this day be a reminder to one and all that mothers are mothers not because of any legislation but because they are naturally imbibed with the spirit of motherhood that is intrinsically tied down to mothers only, and this cannot be replaced.