Pro-lifers snubbed by Labour candidates in questionnaire demanding stand on abortion

The vast majority of the Labour Party’s MEP election candidates have refused to reply to a survey by the Life Network Foundation, which sought to gauge their views on a number of sensitive issues, including abortion.

The foundation said it had contacted all MEP candidates who are vying for a seat at the European Parliament. “The voter has a right to know the views of the candidates for whom they will be voting,” it said in a statement.

Candidates representing Alternattiva Demokratika, Partit Demokratiku and Imperium Europa did not take part in the survey.

The questions put the candidates included whether they would ever vote in favour of abortion, whether they were in favour of surrogacy “or the renting of a womb”, if they committed to defending each and every person’s freedom of conscience and finally whether they would vote for any measures favouring euthanasia or assisted suicide.

All candidates representing the Nationalist Party and Alleanza Bidla said they were against abortion, surrogacy and euthanasia, pledging to also “commit to defending each and every person’s freedom of conscience as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms”.

PN MEP candidate David Stellini was the only PN candidate not listed in the results, however in comments to Illum, Stellini said he had answered the questionnaire and that his omission must have been the result of a mistake. He insisted that he was against abortion. 

From the Labour camp, Robert Micallef, Fleur Vella, Felix Galea Busuttil and Alex Agius Saliba were the only candidates to reply to the questionnaire. All said they were against abortion but in favour of surrogacy.

Felix Galea Busuttil was the only Labour candidate who did not commit to defending everyone’s freedom of conscience, while Robert Micallef was the only Labour candidate to declare his opposition to euthanasia or assisted suicide.