[WATCH] Pro-lifers against morning after pill: ‘Abortion will be introduced by stealth’

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The availability of the morning after pill constitutes a clear attack on life and is the first step towards introducing abortion in Malta by stealth, Miriam Sciberras, Chairperson of the LifeNetwork Malta, said yesterday.

Sciberras made the remark yesterday while addressing hundreds of ‘pro-life’ campaigners, including Government Whip Godfrey Farrugia and shadow family minister Clyde Puli, who took to the streets of Valletta on Saturday night in a rally against abortion and the “abortifacient” morning after pill.

Organised by the Life Network Foundation, the ‘Stand Up for Life March’, which saw protestors gather at Castille before making their way in front of parliament, was held in protest at the Medicine Authority’s decision to make the morning after pill available over-the-counter without the need of a doctor’s prescription.

The decision was taken after members of parliament sitting on the social affairs, health and family committees had recommended to the House of Representatives that the emergency contraceptive pill could only be dispensed against a doctor’s prescription.

“The campaign in favour of the morning after pill was based on deceit and dishonesty. Different terms were purposely used to define what constitutes as abortifacient, while the language used was manipulative in order to confuse people … In most cases the morning after pill is abortifacient because it kills life during the first 15 days,” she said.

Describing the discussion on the morning after pill as a “farce”, Sciberras insisted that the Medicines Authority had lost their way and their decision to ignore the advice of MPs was a blatant disregard of the rights of the unborn.

“We are here to tell government and Opposition MPs that this is unacceptable, and that we will hold them responsible. MPs have a duty to speak out and you have political responsibility to correctly analyse all the facts pertaining to the morning after will, and to ascertain that none of the experts have any ulterior motives,” Sciberras said.

The Chairperson of the Life Network Foundation also paid tribute to Government Whip Godfrey Farrugia, Labour backbencher Deo Debattista, as well as shadow minister Claudette Buttigieg and Clyde Puli for “risking their political career to defend life.”

“Tomorrow’s children depend on you. I plead to you to keep on defending life and to never accept anything which may compromise the right to life,” she said.

Echoing Godfrey Farrugia, Sciberras insisted that the “Maltese are losing their moral code” and that the values safeguarding the protection of life are being threatened.

“How is it possible that we speak in favour of life and say we that we do not agree in favour and not speak about protecting the embryo from conception? This is absurd … Abortion won’t be introduced suddenly but will be introduced slowly in stages over a period of time as a result of exceptions,” she said.

The Chairperson of the Life Network Foundation also said that 15,000 people signed a petition against embryo freezing and to enshrine the principle of protection of the unborn child in the Constitution of Malta. In December 2015, the Foundation had organised a rally against embryo-freezing, with Sciberras claiming that the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act were a pretext to introduce abortion in Malta.

The rally was also addressed by Rebecca Kiessling – a pro-life campaigner who was conceived out of brutal rape – who said “the horror of abortion” cannot be allowed.