Updated | Petition urges MPs to change tack over morning-after pill: ‘Current proposal intended to control women'

An online petition has been set up to urge MPs to rethink their recent proposal for the morning-after pill to only be dispensed against a doctor’s prescription.

The petition, set up by Jelena Bezzina, lambasts the proposal as “deeply detrimental to the well-being of women” and one that “disregards all respect for female bodily autonomy”.

“We believe that not only do these recommendations go against the very core of gender equality, by removing a woman’s right to take the best decision for her wellbeing, but that this decision is also rooted not in a general regard for a woman’s health but a need to control the bodies and lives of women”.

MPS sitting on the social affairs, health and family committees announced on Wednesday that they will recommend to the House that the pill can only be dispensed against a doctor’s prescription.

However, Bezzina's petition notes that women must make use of emergency contraception immediately after intercourse and that forcing them to obtain a prescription amounts to an extra and unnecessary hurdle.

“Furthermore, this is detrimental to the empowerment of Maltese women – who will not be trusted to take the decision themselves, like their European and international counterparts. We urge you to trust us with our own wellbeing and recognize that women are aware of the negative consequences of frequent use of all medication, not only the emergency contraceptive pill.”

The petition also warned that the proposal will allow doctors “who may feel that they have a right to judge the sexual lives of women based on their own moral convictions” to abuse their power.

“It is not up to you as parliamentarians, or doctors, or neighbours to judge upon the decisions of others when it comes to these affairs. This was the premise of the debate on LGBT rights, so we demand that it is also so during this debate on women’s rights.”

Moreover, it said that the parliamentary committee’s decision doesn’t take into consideration the needs of victims of sexual assault, who often don’t approach authorities about their assault until they are ready.

“Without immediate access to emergency contraceptives, women who are still under the shock of sexual assault, especially in cases where the abuser is known to the victim, may end up losing the time-window in which the medication can be utilize. We urge you to be on these women’s side.

“We urge you to rethink and see reason, and take a decision that is based on the best interest of this great country and its citizens. We urge you to take a strong stand in favour of human rights, of bodily autonomy, of empowerment and of respect for the strong, independent women in our societies wanting to take control of their lives, ready to contribute to our economies, democracies, civil societies and our schools. A vote in favour of these recommendations means a vote against women and we urge you not to allow this debate to be hijacked by the irrationality of lobby groups who would prefer to have women burdened with an unwanted pregnancy with all the repercussions that co with it.”

Earlier, the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations also insisted that the morning-after pill should be available for purchase over the counter.

“We feel that women in Malta have the right to a wide choice of emergency contraception and that this should be widely available over the counter in order to allow women to have more control over their lives, their health and their body,” MCWO chairperson Lorraine Spiteri said in a statement.

The Women’s Rights Foundation warned that insisting that emergency contraception is to be made available by prescription only will open a “dangerous can of worms”.

“What was the point in recommending that emergency contraception is licensed as ‘prescription only’ if not to exert undue political pressure on the Medicines Authority to act as puppets on a string rather than as an independent authority?” it asked. “If Parliament wants to decide on how medicines are licensed and dispensed, it should abolish the relevant authorities and undertake the job itself.

“Considering that some MPs found it difficult to discern between hard scientific evidence from ‘evidence’ by what could only be termed dogma driven snake oil salesmen, this possibility leaves us terrified.”