Right of reply: Partit Abba on Life Network Foundation and abortion law

I refer to your article entitled “Life Network Foundation disassociates itself from call for referendum”,  posted on the 5th December 2023.

Firstly,  Partit ABBA is not - as is being reported - a far-right party! It is a Christian, conservative party which holds social justice as a core value.

Life Network chose to publicly harm our initiative with intention. It is our duty therefore to ratify all their incorrect statements.

1) It is not true that Life Network chose to distance itself from us as is being reported. Members of #Malta4Life chose a long time ago to distance ourselves from Life Network’s disastrous decision to break ranks with all the other Pro-life groups’ standing against any change in the anti-abortion legislation. 

Ivan Grech Mintoff states: 

“For us, Life Network and their associates simply made a pact with “the Liar '' himself as all arguments for the change in the legislation were based on lies! 
Through this pact, Lifenetwork claims and even admits to having “brought the necessary changes” in legislation, a complete reversal of their original stand! 
This was a total betrayal of our common, original stand which they chose to make without any consultation with us and with the largest pro-life groups in Malta. 

Instead of compromise and pacts, we choose to stand our ground rather than cave in and accept something utterly unacceptable to serious pro-lifers. 

If the old law afforded complete protection to all then no change whatsoever should have been contemplated let alone encouraged and militated for.

2) Everyone accepts that the old laws completely protected both the unborn babies, the mothers, and the medical staff in all circumstances. Life Network acknowledged this as fact and was supported by its own media before it switched its position.  No amendment was necessary at all, yet the new amendment (that Life Network pushed/worked for) has introduced an indelible wedge for abortion to be justified. The amendment introduces words like “which may put her life at immediate risk or her health in grave jeopardy, which may lead to death” etc. 
  
It is a complete mystery why LifeNetwork chose to accept these words and the very wedge that was actually being asked for initially by those wanting legislative amendment. 
Dangerous and subjective new words, open to very wide interpretations that were not present before and which now, yes,  put the unborn baby’s life (that was previously fully protected) at complete risk. 

Life network has much to answer for in this respect.“

3) Partit ABBA  is falsely accused by Life Network of having taken advantage of their so-called March. 

Firstly,  #Malta4Life (and not Partit ABBA) purposely set up their presence in Parliament Square well away from Life Network's March:  LifeNetwork’s activity was in a completely different area to ours and we would not have been given permission to hold our event otherwise. We had every right to set up where we did on that particular day and in that particular place. 

Furthermore, we announced our signature collection activities (plural) BEFORE the law was even introduced. LifeNework chose to announce their activity many months after us and in a different place to where they usually hold their activity. Not the other way round and to state so is unfair.  

#Malta4Life will now ramp up its signature collection on various other dates and places too. Let us hope that Life Network does not claim to “clash with our activities” and make further false and puerile statements.

4) #Malta4Life believes that we collected far more signatures from the general public than the number of people who attended LifeNetwork’s talk/march. This proves that we did not ride on anyone’s back as is being falsely insinuated by Life Network. 

5) It is important to note that #Malta4Life is not just made up of Partit ABBA and Partit Popolari as is being pushed. It is made up of:

* Partit Abba

* Partit Abba Youths

* Partit Popolari

* Pro Malta Christiana

* Abortion in Malta? Not in my name!

* Ġenerazzjoni Malta

* Parents' and Children's Rights Movement

* Parents and Teachers against Gender Indoctrination of our Children

* Fr. Patrick Pullicino

6) #Malta4Life is not a political organisation but a pro-life one. We welcome and urge all pro-life political parties, organisations, and individuals to join our effort to safeguard against the abuse that will now inevitably follow because of this new legislation. We must all ensure its removal by holding a referendum and restoring the original and completely sage laws that always put the life of the unborn baby AND the mother’s life first and foremost. 

Despite any attempts to block us,  Malta#Life will carry on petitioning for signatures and to safeguard lives. Many within LifeNetwork ranks privately tell us that they disagree with LifeNetwork’s move to support, condone and even push for the government’s highly dangerous legislation.  We urge these people to put pressure on Lifenetwork individuals to do the right thing or at least not get in the way of those who will do so in their stead.