The Church's Environment Commission (KA) has called for the protection of life in its early stages.

In a statement on the occasion of the  Season of Creation, the commission shared thoughts inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’, on the value of Life and the need to respect it in all its aspects.

It said acknowledging the value of life implied an appreciation of the dignity of all forms of life, which stimulated people to accept its vulnerability and do everything possible to protect it.

This principle, it said, should apply not only when the life of animals and plants or trees was threatened, but also to human life in its very early stages.

Many, it said, were accepting fallacies and misconceptions presented in the media, which were nothing but a distortion of reality.

The commission said that during the debates about the very early stages of life, it could not accept rhetoric aimed at eliminating guilt by hiding the truth. It strongly believed that a human being’s rights needed to be respected, irrespective of size, stage of growth and development, physical or mental ability and health condition.

In a just and democratic society, everybody’s rights were safeguarded, whether one was an adult or a vulnerable creature who could not defend itself.

The commission said it feared that if one were not careful, there was the risk that the pharmaceutical and medical industry ended up giving priority to economic interests rather than to moral rules and values.

“One needs to invest more in research that explores methods which would overcome infertility without jeopardizing human dignity,” it said.

As for the built environment, the commission noted the fast change the country’s physiognomy was undergoing with Malta becoming one huge building site.

Malta has become one huge building site

“Despite a lot of talk about sustainability, it seems the environmental impact of the construction industry is not being given the importance it deserves. The KA feels that it is high time the Planning Authority becomes more proactive with regard to planning rather than occupying its time processing development applications. In this respect, the involvement of Local Councils and consultation with the residents of the locality concerned are indispensable,” it said.

True development, the commission continued, went beyond financial gain and should safeguard the quality of life and dignity of one and all.

Genuine developers committed themselves to promote the common good and ensure that workers under their responsibility were treated with dignity.

It considered inappropriate the objections raised by the commercial sector in Malta regarding the minimum wage, maternity leave, the employment of persons with special needs and the restrictions on sick leave benefit.

“The KA does not agree with the notion of gauging the progress of our islands by how much they have come to resemble other countries. Unfortunately, any means to reach this end may become justifiable, even the violation of human dignity. Upholding our values and boldly denying any means of human exploitation should be our stance in local and international fora,” it said.

The commission said Malta should cherish and safeguard values that had always distinguished it as a nation, and that local, national, regional and global governments should provide the necessary protection to the vulnerable, especially those unable to defend themselves because of their social, physical and psychological condition.

The full paper (in Maltese) can be read in the pdf link below.

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