Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has called out pro-lifers who are vociferous on the rights of embryos but devalue the lives of migrants stranded at sea.

“From where I stand, human life isn’t a relative value,” Muscat said at a political rally in Mellieħa this morning. “To those who beat their chests during Id-Duluri and who cry out about abortion, well, those people out sea are human lives too.”

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander and I cannot stand this hypocrisy and double standards. NGOs who want to act saintly on abortion must value all human life.”

The Prime Minister delivered a speech a day after Malta reached a deal with four EU countries over the fate of 64 migrants who were picked up by a NGO-run vessel close to the Libyan coast. The deal will see the migrants dock in Malta, from there they will be distributed to Germany, France, Portugal and Luxembourg.

Hailing this decision as a “common-sense solution”, Muscat warned the government would have betrayed its values had it gone down Italy’s route of denying the ship entry.

“Doing that would certainly have won us votes and made us popular on Facebook but we’d have been playing around with Malta’s name and with our own principles,” he said.

Cover photo: Left: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Right: A pro-life rally in Malta

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