Opposition leader appeals to Labour MPs to speak out against abortion reform

‘There’s no political colour when life is involved,’ Grech says in his plea to Labour counterparts

Opposition leader Bernard Grech
Opposition leader Bernard Grech

Opposition leader Bernard Grech made a plea to pro-life Labour MPs to speak out against government’s new reform to indemnify doctors when administering medical treatment to pregnant women that results in a termination of their pregnancy.

In a speech outside the Nationalist Party każin in Gudja, Grech said that there are Labour MPs who are pro-life and have spoken to people in the Nationalist Party with concerns over the reform.

“This is the moment in which history is being rewritten,” he said. “Each one of us must stand up and not be afraid to take action in favour of life, so that when history is written, we will be on the right side of history.”

Grech was speaking at an activity commemorating 36 years since the murder of Raymond Caruana, a PN activist who was killed in a drive-by shooting at the Gudja każin in 1986.

“The PN was at the forefront of the fight for liberty and democracy 36 years ago, and now we are again being called to the forefront of another very important issue – the fight for life.”

Grech mentioned an open letter signed by academics, where they argued that the new amendment “opens the foor for legal abortion” because it includes a holistic definition of health.

They said this would also open the door for doctors to carry out terminations if they deemed a pregnancy endangers the mother’s mental health.

Grech also mentioned President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, who has come out against the reform. She was one of the speakers at a press conference organised by Life Network.

“The PN is ready to discuss how we can give protection to the mother, the unborn child, doctors, but this should not happen through abortion,” he said.