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James Debono
Nationalist MEPs David Casa and Simon Busuttil voted against an amendment presented by Maria Martens, Nirj Deva and Michale Gahler on behalf of the the European People’s Party (EPP) group which called on the Parliament to substitute the controversial paragraph 47 with a more generic call on the EU to “maintain levels of funding for a broad range of sexual and reproductive health services.” A politically correct phrase for abortion.
Before last year’s European Parliament elections, the Nationalist party gave the impression that the European People’s Party – unlike the Greens and the Socialists – was a staunch defender of Catholic values especially in matters like abortion.
On April 12, 2005, 26 EPP deputies voted against an amendment presented by the eurosceptic and right-wing IND-DEM group to remove any reference to EU funding for safe abortions.
The vote was taken during a discussion on a report by socialist MEP Glenys Kinnock on the role of the European Union in the achievement of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to address global poverty.
Throughout the vote on the various amendments presented, David Casa and Simon Busuttil (EPP-ED) were in various instances closer to the positions adopted by the right wing IND-DEM group than to their own party, the more moderate EPP-ED.
On the other hand in one particular instance Labour MEPs Joseph Muscat and Louis Grech voted alongside MEPs from the EPP-ED rather than with their pro-choice colleagues in the Party of European Socialists. Yet unlike the Nationalist MEPs, none of the Labour MEPs voted in favour of a motion to delete entirely the controversial paragraph 47, urging the EU “to continue to lead the way on sexual and reproductive health rights by maintaining levels of funding for the full range of sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and safe abortion services where legal.”
Nationalist MEPs David Casa and Simon Busuttil voted against an amendment presented by Maria Martens, Nirj Deva and Michale Gahler on behalf of the EPP group which called on the Parliament to substitute the controversial paragraph 47 with a more generic call on the EU to “maintain levels of funding for a broad range of sexual and reproductive health services.”
Together with another 23 EPP deputies, Casa and Busuttil voted against this motion. On the other hand Labour MEPs Grech and Muscat, unlike their socialist colleagues, joined the EPP in voting for this amendment. Labour MEP Attard-Montalto abstained on this EPP-sponsored amendment.
While voting against the EPP motion, Casa and Busuttil voted in favour of an amendment presented by the IND-DEM group to delete the paragraph calling for funding for abortion services, entirely. Although most EPP MEPs supported this amendment 26 EPP MEPs voted against removing the reference to abortion funding, indicating that a significant minority of the EPP have far more liberal views on abortion than Casa and Busuttil.
MEPs Joseph Muscat, John Attard-Montalto and Louis Grech voted against the motion calling for the deleting of the whole paragraph containing a reference to funding for abortions.
Paragraph 48 which calls for “universal access to sexual and reproductive health services by 2015” also raised the eyebrows of more conservative deputies.
While Grech and Muscat abstained on an amendment presented to delete this paragraph, Attard-Montalto like the vast majority of socialist deputies voted against.
In another amendment presented by the hard right substituting the words “reproductive health services” with “maternal health services”, Casa and Busuttil voted in favour, whilst 26 EPP MEPs voted against this motion. Joseph Muscat abstained on this motion while Louis Grech voted against.
Another amendment presented by the rightist IND-DEM group called for the deletion of ‘Recital O’ which deplored the pressures to undermine progressive policies on sexual and reproductive rights, with the resulting increase in unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
All three Labour MEPs voted against this amendment while Casa and Busuttil voted in favour. Casa and Busuttil also voted against an amendment presented by their own EPP group which “deplored that policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights have not yet resulted in a decrease of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.”
When it come to voting on the entire report which included the controversial paragraphs referring to funding for safe abortions, the Maltese MEPs were divided into three camps. Nationalist MEPs David Casa, Simon Busuttil and Labour MEP Joseph Muscat abstained. On the other hand Labour MEP Louis Grech joined the majority of EPP, Socialist, Liberal, Communist and Green MEPs who voted in favour of the full resolution.
Labour MEP John Attard Montaldo was apparently not present when the final vote was taken, with his name not present on the records for the final vote.
None of the Maltese MEPs went as far as voting against the report. 52 MEPs from right-wing groups, including five EPP-ED deputies voted against the full resolution, most of them due to their hard line opposition to abortion.
jdebono@newsworksltd.com
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