The Holocaust is political evil. Abortion is a difficult personal choice

I often refrain from commenting on the subject of abortion as I see little scope for an honest debate on this subject, simply because our abortions are exported to countries where the procedure is performed legally and safely. 

Surely the less abortions are performed the better; that is why access to contraception including the morning after pill is fundamental. Abortion would only become an issue if women were being butchered in back-street abortions as was the case before abortion was legalised in countries like Italy, Germany and France.

That is why Christian Democrats like Angela Merkel will never dream of rolling the clock back, let alone insensitively compare abortion to the Holocaust.

Tonio Fenech is perfectly entitled to his views... But comparing abortion to the holocaust crosses a red line

But as a history graduate, I cannot keep my mouth shut when the memory of the Holocaust is snarled by politicians who betray a complete lack of sensitivity to history.

Tonio Fenech is perfectly entitled to his views against abortion and to express them freely in parliament. But comparing abortion to the holocaust crosses a red line. Fenech says that “as happened in the Second World War, people today too are trying to justify this modern-day holocaust that has seen more than 60 million abortions being carried out since 1973 in the United States alone.”

The problem is that Fenech is comparing an abominable politically planned genocide of Jews, Roma, homosexuals and other minorities with very difficult personal choices faced by millions of women in their everyday life.

Abortion is not the result of any ideology. It actually predates its legalisation by centuries and is motivated by personal existential concerns.

Fenech’s statement contrasts with Pope Francis decision to extend the power to forgive abortions to all Catholic priests (instead of restricting it to Bishops as has been the case for the past centuries), an act which makes it easier for women who committed what the Church still views as a sin to be absolved for their actions, and rejoin the Church. 

Moreover, Pope Francis had no qualms in praising Italy’s leading human rights campaigner – Emma Bonino – as one of the nation’s “forgotten greats,” comparing her to great historical figures such as Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schuman, despite her role as a campaigner for abortion rights.

For while I am sure that Pope Francis fundamentally disagrees with abortion, he lives in a world where pro-choice politicians are not the devil incarnate.

What I found most lacking in Fenech’s speech is any reference to the more immediate threats to human life posed by very political decisions taken by politicians like Donald Trump. 

I would have expected both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to present a firm statement showing their disapproval of Trump’s policies

On the same day when millions were marching in the USA and Europe against Trumps’ decision that severely restricts immigration from seven Muslim countries, suspends all refugee admission for 120 days, and bars all Syrian refugees indefinitely, parliament missed a golden opportunity to condemn this decision, insensitively announced on the Holocaust Remembrance day. 

On such a day, I would have expected both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to present a firm statement showing their disapproval of Trump’s policies. 

Instead we had Fenech ranting against abortion and Evarist Bartolo making a meaningful reflection, unfortunately devoid of any reference to the elephant in the global room i.e. Donald Trump and the threats posed to migrant communities by populists the world over – including those who would like to push Europe's migrant problem to a failed state like Libya.

For those who define themselves as pro-life can't take the backseat when migrants are left stranded in places where their life is in danger. In the same way those who define themselves as liberals can't afford to look the other way when migrants are deprived of the fundamental right to life and security.