New Il-Progressivi Political Party Calls Abortion A ‘Woman’s Right’
Il-Progressivi, the new kid on the block in Malta’s political arena, has confirmed it is in favour of relaxing Malta’s strict abortion laws.
The new left-wing party, which is set to formally launch later this month, confirmed this policy in a response to Michael Briguglio after the former AD leader questioned how its existence, along with that of ADPD and Arnold Cassola’s new outfit, can work in practice.
Among other issues, Briguglio questioned whether Cassola is ready to compromise on his stance against abortion as he had when he was secretary general of the European Greens and a Greens MP in the Italian Parliament.
“Although the question wasn’t addressed to us, we will answer it nonetheless,” they said.
“For us, it is important that women’s rights are given the same importance and respect as all other rights. Therefore, we are committed to defending the principle of bodily autonomy, free from any form of coercion or discrimination.”
Il-Progressivi’s position is unsurprising considering that one of its members, former PL MEP Cyrus Engerer, has repeatedly come out in favour of abortion legalisation.
It therefore looks set to become the third Maltese political party, along with ADPD and Volt, in favour of relaxing Malta’s abortion laws.
In its response, it also downplayed Briguglio’s suggestions of factionalism on the left by insisting it wants to work with “all democratic forces”.
“A strong democracy is built on different and diverse voices so as to represent as much of society as possible,” they said. “We believe that the time has come for Malta to move on to the next phase of its democratic path and we believe that the time is now.”
“We are currently focused on officially launching the party. Everything will be announced in due course but our mission statement will state that we are a party which is ready to roll up its sleeves and work will all democratic forces to come up with practical solutions to everyday life”.
However, they then went on to state that their goal is to break the PL-PN political dichotomy, which they warned has fomented several social divisions.
“The reality is that PL and PN are both financed from the same pockets and are only interested in power. We want a new and clean style of politics that can combat corruption and strengthen our society and environment.”
Will you consider voting for a third party at the next election?
READ NEXT: Watch: New Close Up Footage Shows Lions Pacing In Naxxar Cage
