Pro-life group sounds warning to Muscat, Busuttil over gay marriage

A pro-life organisation has come out strongly against the Prime Minister’s recent call for gay marriage and its quick endorsement by the Opposition leader. 

Life Network spokesperson Klaus Vella Bardon warned that Maltese people who “cherish the traditional values of life and family will feel left out” upon the introduction of gay marriage.

“As a result, the views of a substantial part of the population – that part that believes that marriage should only be between one man and one woman and open to life – is no longer upheld by the leaders of the main political parties,” he said in a statement.

“The introduction of gay marriage would be another blow to the institution of marriage.” 

He also warned that Muscat’s and Busuttil’s declarations are “presumptuous” and “lack political mandate”, given that gay marriage didn’t feature in the PL or PN’s electoral manifestos.

“Do Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil presume that a substantial part of the people can be ignored?” he questioned. “We appeal to the general public and especially to MPs on both sides of the House to make their voices heard in defence of marriage.”

Life Network describes its mission as “addressing all life, marriage and family issues founded on Catholic principles of morality and social justice which includes love and respect for every human person regardless of his or her beliefs”.

Civil unions were introduced in Malta in 2014, granting same-sex couples all the rights of marriage available under law.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said earlier this month that he is in favour of introducing gay marriage, even if it was just a question of a terminology change.

He was responding to a question posed by a lesbian couple at an event organised by the Labour women’s branch.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil quickly said that he would support such a change in terminology, but accused the Prime Minister of using a “non-issue” to deviate public attention from the Panama scandal.