People celebrate the result of the referendum on liberalising abortion law, in Dublin, Ireland, May 26, 2018. Photo:  Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

Claudio Grech, Opposition spokesman on Well-being, Family, Social Solidarity, Pensions, Children Rights and the Unborn

Intrinsically, Malta is a nation that cherishes life. A recent survey carried out by MaltaToday leaves no doubt on this: 95.2 per cent rule out unrestricted abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, making abortion one of the few controversial matters on which there exists a wide consensus across party lines, age groups and beliefs. The three political parties represented in Parliament are all pro-life, at least at face value.

We, the Nationalist Party, are unequivocal in our pro-life stand: we do not shy away from standing up for life even when this has an electoral price tag attached to it. We were the first political party to give the recognition to the rights of the unborn child to the extent that we consider it to be an integral part of a political shadowing portfolio.

Most importantly, in a political scene dominated by spin and sound bites, we do not merely pay lip service to the protection and defence of human life and dignity but ensure that the rhetoric is followed by our political actions and voting decisions in Parliament. It is pointless to express one’s personal views but then shy away from reflecting them in our vote in the legislative process which is the only real determining stage at which we can make a difference.

The Irish vote is a popular decision taken in the socio-economic setting of that particular country and needs to be looked at from that perspective without causing virtual overtones or smokescreens. If anything, the Irish referendum result should in fact re-enforce our resolve against the legalisation of abortion in Malta.

That being said, we are not living in a vacuum and hence we need to look at this development by setting political expediency and dogma aside while thinking in terms of how we can evolve a pro-life policy framework which protects the rights of the unborn child in the interests of the common good.

At the core of our policy efforts should be better education for both parents and children about the real meaning of parenthood and the right to life of an unborn child

It is in this setting that, beyond the popular sentiment and above political party lines, our openly declared values need to be translated into tangible policy proposals and measures that enable us to complement  our stand with actions.

Simply stopping at restating that we are anti-abortion will not address the underlying issues leading to the contemplation of a person to terminate the life of an unborn child.

As a political party that believes in a society that cares, this makes it incumbent upon us as policymakers to shape positive measures to address these social challenges through ethical means.

We need to evolve our healthcare and social support systems for prospective parents that have to deal with an unwanted or an unexpected pregnancy. There should be more state-funded programmes and services providing routes towards alternatives to abortion which would strike the ethical balance between the safeguards of the supreme interest of the unborn child and the social circumstances of the parents. These support systems could also be effectively developed jointly with pro-life NGOs, which go about their mission with an exceptional commitment, passion and respect towards human life.

At the core of our policy efforts should be better education for both parents and children about the real meaning of parenthood and the right to life of an unborn child.

It’s amply evident that, although necessary, merely stopping at sexual education will not suffice and hence our educational efforts should be framed in the context of the responsibilities that parenthood brings about.

Finally, we should ditch prejudice and send out a clear message that our policy framework is grounded in empathy and compassion. We need to reach out to and not stigmatise women who would be contemplating abortion. We also need to build and provide strong support services for those who unfortunately might have committed abortion in other jurisdictions: a truly caring society doesn’t shun those who go through such difficult circumstances but rather it intensifies its support towards them. 

The Labour Party did not sendtheir contribution.

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