Let me make it abundantly clear that I am not writing in the name of any organisation or movement, but in my own capacity. These views are entirely my own.

I want to express my complete disagreement with Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia likening the EU elections to a referendum on abortion. Doing so was to my mind wholly unnecessary and unwise.

The problem is that this stance threatened to divide a pro-life nation across political lines when we are already in agreement about retaining pro-life laws. Being united is a rarity for us Maltese. 

All too often, our nation is polarised by many different issues, ranging from football to politics. 

We seem to revel in division and opposition. Yet on abortion, we are united, so why would anyone choose to drive a wedge between the people?

We should indeed talk about the brutal terminal effects of abortion on the unborn. We should also try to understand how deeply abortion destroys the lives of countless women – the very same women who came to believe the colossal lie that abortion was just a mere choice.

I think that pro-life people do share some concerns with Delia. 

Labour’s less than admirable track record on pro-life issues of late, particularly the way they ran roughshod over everyone in order to hurriedly introduce the morning after pill quickly followed by embryo freezing and anonymous gamete donation in IVF. 

The PL’s situation is further complicated by the fact that the European Socialist group, of which the PL is a member, took a somewhat more militant group position on the promotion of abortion in their manifesto.

Shouldn’t the correct response by Delia have been more measured?

If only Delia stopped there. I fail to see how challenging the leader of the Opposition to a showdown on abortion, on the Xarabank TV programme, would shed any light on this very serious complex matter. If anything, it almost guarantees that the issue will be hijacked by politicians on all sides, and surely no good can come of that.

We seem to revel in division and opposition. Yet on abortion, we are united, so why would anyone choose to drive a wedge between the people?

I imagine some may well conclude that I am against anyone discussing what abortion is and what it does to women and their babies. That is patently untrue! 

The pro-life movement has been actively discussing abortion in public since 2003. Not to talk about abortion may be just as irresponsible. 

It is essential that if we discuss it, then this must be done calmly, reasonably. 

Certainly not in the heat of an electoral campaign, where conclusions and opinions are formed on the basis of mere soundbites.

I do not agree with Joseph Muscat’s reaction to Delia. He countered Delia by suggesting that the matter of abortion required a more in-depth discussion. 

Sadly, rather than being a sincere call for calm, his statement had echoes of the newly-formed radicals’ abortion battle cry. I do think that politicians should speak out in favour of life and against the cruelty of abortion. 

Faced by an imminent threat to human life, we should all stand up and be counted. 

My concern is that should we allow too much heat and fail to introduce enough light into the arena of discussion, as would happen in an electoral campaign, we may end up doing more damage than good. 

Voting is always a private matter. 

One’s conscience is supreme and the decision about whom to vote for should be taken with a formed and informed conscience. I am no politician but I do feel that Delia could have been a little wiser here.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece