‘Call Me Old Fashioned’: Alternattiva Demokratika Co-Founder Calls For Hard Stance Against Abortion
Arnold Cassola has called to dissociate AD from MEP candidate Mina Tolu’s personal opinion on abortion, following pro-abortion comments that the candidate made during a live video which questioned the taboo surrounding the debate on abortion in Malta.
In a letter sent to the AD Secretary General, he firmly states that “it is certainly not the task of Alternattiva Demokratika to bring up this topic for discussion.”
“Whilst respectful of Mina’s beliefs, I maintain that it is certainly not the task of Alternattiva Demokratika to bring up this topic for discussion, also because there is no democratic mandate from AD’s members to do so.”
Tolu is one of Malta’s most prominent trans activists, who famously called out Harry Potter actress Emma Watson for referring to them as “she”. Despite this, Cassola mistakenly refers to Tolu using the female pronoun throughout his letter calling to dissaciate AD’s political ideology from the MEP candidate’s personal opinion.
Left: Mina Tolu, Right: Arnold Cassola
Cassola reaffirmed that he is not prepared to give up his basic principles and values, saying that “I am asking that AD immediately issues a statement disassociating itself from Mina’s personal opinion and clearly and unequivocally stating that it is against abortion.”
This isn’t the first time that Cassola has come out against abortion
In September 2017, Cassola had told AD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo that there is no democratic mandate for AD’s members to bring up the topic for discussion after he had called for a healthy debate on the issue.
When he was accepted as MEP candidate for AD in November 2018, he reinstated his his anti-abortion stance.
And today, he reinforced his claims of being against abortion in response to Tolu’s live video, which was uploaded on the candidate’s official Facebook page. In the video, the young politician discusses the way that abortion has been stigmatised as a taboo topic in Malta.
Mina comments on the need for politicians and political parties to stop fuelling the stigma through their reluctance to openly discuss abortion.
“To openly come out against one of your own Green Candidates, simply because they said that Sexual Reproductive Health And Rights should no longer be a taboo topic and that we should be able to have a mature discussion about abortion, is anti-green policy.”
Pia Micallef, the co-founder of #MeTooEP, came out strongly against Cassola’s comments. In this Facebook post, Micallef claimed that AD is not truly a Green party and that “it’s time Arnold Cassola resigned from the AD and allowed Malta to have its first true Green Party.”
It’s been difficult for anyone to share their position on abortion, really
In a Facebook discussion on abortion last year, MEP candidate for Partit Demokratika Cami Appelgren said that she believes that everyone should be given a choice and noted the trauma a pregnancy can cause to rape victims.
However, she pledged not to discuss abortion throughout her MEP campaign, saying “let me be clear, my position is that it should never be imposed on Malta from Brussels or anywhere else abroad, which some seem to think.” PD also distanced themselves from Appelgren’s personal views when it comes to abortion.