Whether to abort or not remains a basic right of all pregnant women. No one can violate that right unless you are hypocritical Malta. No one is recommending that pregnant women should abort, but if such a woman were to deem it necessary so to act, then that individual should have a remedy in her country to be able to carry out such an act. Otherwise these women will keep going abroad, at unnecessary hassle and expense, and carry out the abortion abroad. There they can do what they like and Malta has not the slightest right or authority to prevent that from happening at law or in fact, as indeed is occurring.
The Council of Europe by a remarkable majority last month passed a historic resolution recommending that member states decriminalise abortion should their country be backward enough to still have antiquated laws that do not respect the dignity of women to do with their bodies as is best in their individual interests.
Malta is one of these backward countries that do not truly respect the dignity and intelligence of women by having in its Criminal Code an article that punishes abortion by imprisonment.
This is an absurd article which violates the Constitution of Malta and the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Europe should take note of Malta's hypocritical stand on this issue.
The Maltese delegation that sped off to Strasbourg was illegal and abusive, as we did not as yet have a functioning Parliament, much less Members of Parliament, and certainly no government nor an opposition. It is true we have a minority Cabinet as the majority of voters never wanted the Nationalist Party to govern this country following the March general election. Hence the revelation that the illegal and abusive delegation composed of bluish-red dilettantes voted against the resolution comes as no surprise to the objective and intelligent sections of our country-folk.
Furthermore, neither of the two main parties has any right to discuss abortion much less determine any constitutional changes on the matter as both of them in their typical cowardly stance never even referred to abortion in their party manifestos, as other sincere and objective local parties indeed did.
Tiny Malta must respect the majority opinion of the Council of Europe Resolution and act immediately to decriminalise abortion. This would mean respecting the dignity and intelligence of pregnant women who have an absolute right to determine what is best for their individual self.