If we are truly pro-life, we should be pro-choice. Being pro-life means we need to look beyond birth as the mother and child need to live with that choice for their entire lives.

As a result, we need to ensure that neither mother nor child suffer any stigma or abuse, meaning gossip and condemnation of the ‘unmarried mother’ must stop. No women is asking to be raped, no matter how she dresses, and nor can any woman who is denied full access to sex education, or to free and readily-available contraception, truly be blamed for an unwanted pregnancy.

We also need to ensure that the woman has the choice of bringing a child into the world knowing that neither she nor the child will suffer. This means having adequate social housing and care, the ability to return to work or education and money to feed and meet her own needs and that of the child, enabling both to live and not just survive.

Research also shows that, without choice, the mother and the child can suffer from a range of emotional and even psychological issues. At the least, we risk the mother feeling resentful and the child being rejected. Even in cases of adoption, the child can suffer long-term problems.

To be pro-life, one should plan for these issues and ensure that mother and child get support and counselling, potentially for the rest of their lives. You see, like many, if not most, supporters of choice I do not want to see the number of abortions rise but fall. However, we must recognise the cost of that in financial, social and cultural terms.

So, please, think and, if we do not want to see abortion in Malta, ask yourself: am I prepared to pay the price or do I just expect the ‘mother and child’ to pay the price for my morality and condemnation. If we are truly pro-life, then we must give the mother and child a true choice, to live their lives fully and completely, whatever choice they make.