‘How are we still discussing accessibility to the morning-after pill?’ - Rosianne Cutajar

Cutajar hit out at MAP inaccessibility after a MaltaToday investigation found that buying the pill is a stiff challenge on Sundays

Rosianne Cutajar hit out at the inaccessibility of the morning-after pill (MAP) after a new MaltaToday investigation showed that buying the MAP remains a stiff challenge on Sundays

In parliament, she remarked on the fact that no pharmacies open on Sunday and public holidays in the coming weeks in Qormi will be selling the MAP. Additionally, there are some instances when the pill is completely inaccessible for those living in Gozo.

"This is how behind we are. Imagine having to take the bus down to Malta just to buy the MAP from a pharmacy. How are we still discussing accessibility to the morning-after pill in 2021?"

She went on to protest how women need to jump from pharmacy to pharmacy just to see which outlets sell it. "It's 2021, and we still have people who impose their morality on others."

"This is not the Malta I want for our children," she said, making a subtle quip towards the government budget slogan 'The Malta we want for our children'.

The MaltaToday probe found that no pharmacies in Qormi and Santa Venera that will be open on Sunday over the coming weeks will be selling the morning-after pill. This forces women living in these areas to travel around localities in search of the pill.

In Gozo, on one of the days none of the only two pharmacies open will sell the morning-after pill, meaning anybody on the sister island requiring contraception will have to travel to Malta for the MAP.

MAP was introduced in Malta in 2016 and can be sold over the counter in pharmacies without a doctor's prescription as long as the person is over 18.

But the MAP is a contentious subject for pharmacists, who have the right not to dispense the pill on the grounds of conscientious objections.  Some pharmacies do not sell it altogether, while in others, individual pharmacists are free to not sell it despite it being available in the outlet.