Voice For Choice Urges Political Parties To ‘Stop Burying Their Heads In The Sand’ After Free Contraception Criticism
The Catholic pro-life Life Network Foundation was called out this morning for criticising a free contraception proposal as part of the PN’s sexual health strategy, as their claims were called “unscientific and harmful” by the Malta Women Lobby.
Today, the Voice for Choice coalition, consisting of 11 NGOs and member groups, also spoke out against the claims that Life Network Foundation made. The coalition said they encourage “all political parties to stop burying their heads in the sand and do what is right for the sexual and reproductive health of people in Malta.”
“In a country that bans abortion in all circumstances and that has high rates of sexually transmitted infections and teenage births, it is very important that contraceptives are made free and accessible,” the coalition said.
“Denying people access to sexuality education, contraception, and abortion, which are all things Life Network is against, sets people up to fail, and has a particularly negative impact on the lives of younger women.”
The coalition also noted that the Life Network’s statements about contraception are simply false, and require correction. “Morning-after pills, including ellaOne, do not cause abortions. Contraception is effective at reducing the risk of unintended pregnancy, and condoms are also effective at reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections.”
And Voice for Choice reiterates that teaching abstinence is not the way to go. “Preaching abstinence has been shown time and time again to be an ineffective strategy, and “natural” methods of family planning are much inferior to modern contraceptives at preventing pregnancy.”
The Voice for Choice coalition also condemns the Maltese government for giving funding to Life Network Foundation, saying this goes against the equality and civil rights the government claims to believe in.
“People in Malta deserve better sexuality education, better access to contraception, and access to safe, legal abortion, and we encourage all political parties to,” Voice for Choice ended its statement.
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