‘We Are Totally Against Abortion’: Read This 2008 Letter Penned By Myriam Spiteri Debono As Għaqda Nisa Laburisti President
A letter penned by current President Myriam Spiteri Debono back when she led Għaqda Nisa Laburisti reinforces her staunchly anti-abortion views.
In 2008, Spiteri Debono signed a letter to Socialist International Women stating the group’s inability to go to Greece and actively participate in the discussion of a draft resolution at a Congress entitled Women’s Rights are Human Rights, and Lovin Malta managed to acquire the document.
Although the representatives couldn’t attend, they used the letter to make their objections to clauses in the resolution clear: “our organisation is totally against abortion”.
The women’s section of the Malta Labour Party agreed and upheld the draft resolution, harbouring only two objections to clauses nine and 20.
Clause Nine dealt with sexual and reproductive health while Clause 20 stated that governments have to “ensure that no human right is used to curtail or deny women’s rights”.
“Our organisation is totally against abortion, and the right of the unborn to life is viewed by us as the very first human right, and therefore we can never in any way go against this precept or be seen in any way directly or indirectly to aid or abet anything leading to the perpetration of abortion.”
A preceding text to the letter further reiterated that the Labour Party as a whole was strongly against abortion.
Just last week, Spiteri Debono called for a referendum to decide the abortion issue after admitting that she is personally against it.
She explained that abortion will eventually be introduced on the island and the fairest way to do it would be through a national referendum not by “sneaking it in through the window in some electoral manifesto”.
Just yesterday, the European Parliament voted in favour of enshrining abortion into the Charter of Fundamental Rights with most Maltese MEPs voting against it which is unsurprising considering they hail from the state with the strictest abortion laws in Europe.
PN MEP David Casa as well as PL MEPs Josianne Cutajar and Alex Agius Saliba all voted against the resolution. PL MEP Alfred Sant abstained while PL MEP Cyrus Engerer was unable to attend the vote due to other work commitments, but he did co-sign the vote and expressed his pride in being selected to negotiate the resolution.
READ NEXT: Watch: PL MEP Josianne Cutajar Explains Why She Voted Against Adding Abortion As A Fundamental Right In The EU
