President George Vella Pledges To Resign If Faced With Abortion Law: ‘It Is Nothing But Murder’
Malta’s new President George Vella has pledged to resign if he is ever made to sign a bill which legalises abortion.
“I disagree with abortion and won’t sign such a bill, which will mean I would have no other option but to resign,” Vella said in an interview with Illum.
However, he said he disagrees with those who argue that abortion shouldn’t even be debated.
“I believe we should conduct an intensive educational campaign on sexual and reproductive health among youths,” he said. “I’ve been a doctor my whole life and I understand full well about the psychological problems that people who find themselves in this situation go through, but abortion isn’t a solution.”
“Abortion is nothing but murder, and legalising abortion would mean legalising murder. However, if we want to educate youths, then there must be a debate. After all, if I tell a youth not to enter a room, his instinctive reaction would be to ask me why. However, if I were to explain to him that there was a broken beam of wood that he could trip over inside the room, he would reach his own conclusion that he shouldn’t walk inside.”
Vella, a former PL minister for foreign affairs, was sworn in as Malta’s tenth President of the Republic today, succeeding Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. In his inaugural speech, he pledged to raise awareness about hidden poverty, the environment, gender inequality and national symbols, and vowed to leave no stone unturned to eradicate the divisions within Maltese society.
READ NEXT: Now George Vella Is Malta’s New President, Here Are 9 Issues He Should Speak About
READ NEXT: Meet Malta's New President: Fiery George Vella Speaks Hidden Poverty, Gender Inequality And Daphne Caruana Galizia
