Graffitti call for Bernard Grech's resignation, over his 'hateful rhetoric' towards Prudente

Moviment Graffitti called for Opposition Leader Bernard Grech’s resignation and the Nationalist Party’s apology over his "hateful rhetoric" towards Andrea Prudente and hostility towards women during the abortion debate.

The NGO applauded the proposed amendment by the Government to allow doctors to carry out terminations in cases where pregnancy endangers the mother’s life or health, saying “it will bring to pregnant women on our island”.

“We maintain that the termination of a pregnancy when health is at risk is considered basic healthcare and a basic human right, as held by international medical standards. In spite of this, we assert that this is only the first step and the bare minimum. It is a crucial advance but a still insufficient move towards adequate access to reproductive healthcare,” Graffitti said in a statement on Saturday.

The NGO said it was “repulsed” by the “abusive and violent” language used by prominent PN members during the debate. It said that Grech mocked Andrea Prudente, the American woman who was refused a pregnancy termination despite her losing all amniotic fluid and the placenta being detached, questioning her actions and insisting that doctors were “more prudent” than her.

“This barbaric disparaging of a woman mourning a wanted pregnancy and a woman at her weakest, signals an unprecedented ethical collapse in public discourse. We therefore hold the leader of the PN Opposition Bernard Grech entirely responsible for encouraging public descent into an aggressive and violent amoralism,” Graffitti said.

It added that an Opposition leader who was willing to ridicule and endanger women at their most vulnerable to cling on to “political points” did not deserve a seat in Parliament.

“We call upon Bernard Grech’s immediate resignation and a swift apology by the Nationalist Party.”
Graffitti noted that the Opposition was unaware of its inability to speak to the young demographic, which it said was crucial for its re-election into power.

It stated that the Opposition was aware of its insignificance in shaping public debate, and that as a conservative party “shaped entirely by patriarchal blindspots”, it was afraid of giving up the future of Malta and Gozo to women.

“It deals with its own internal fears, confusions and collapse by resorting to outright public hostility against women.”

Graffitti insisted that European Parliament President Roberta Metsola’s silence on this matter, was a failure from her end to use her power position to shield Maltese and Gozitan women from “public oppression, humiliation and shaming” inflicted upon them by her PN colleagues.

According to the NGO, a political class that lashes out against women when finding itself losing vision and control, was "severely compromised" and had no place in positions of power.

“All PN members of parliament, male and female alike, who did not take a position against the hateful rhetoric of their leader Bernard Grech are failed politicians like him,” Graffitti concluded.

READ MORE: Prime Minister Robert Abela hit out at Bernard Grech over his ‘misogynistic’ speech in Parliament