The pro-life group Gift of Life has strongly denied comments by Labour EP candidate Sharon Ellul Bonici that it had blackmailed and politically threatened her, as the candidate claimed on timesofmalta.com yesterday.

Mrs Ellul Bonici yesterday also told the website: "They bombarded me with calls and emails demanding that I retract my comment and declare myself in writing against abortion or face the consequences.”

GOL said it was categorically denying ever blackmailing or politically threatening Mrs Ellul Bonici.

“We did ask her to clearly state her position on abortion. We did persist in attaining a clarification as she seemed to be avoiding us despite having promised that a written explanation would be mailed to us following our first call to her weeks ago,” GOL said.

“We persisted in asking her for a clarification of her comments when this written explanation, which she freely offered to provide herself, did not materialize until recently.

“Gift of Life recognizes that people may have divergent views on the matter of abortion; we do not think that one’s opinions should be suppressed, as Mrs Ellul Bonici suggests we are doing. We do reserve the right, however, to also hold our own opinion publicly and consider it our duty to inform the public of the facts.”

GOL said Mrs. Ellul Bonici is a public person aspiring and now contesting for a public post as a representative of the Maltese people in the European Parliament.

“This, after all, is the practice of freedom of expression at its best. Given the facts, people are then informed and free to make up their own minds when considering their preferred choice of candidate.”