Pro-choice coalition condemns George Vella's anti-abortion speech

The pro-choice coalition Voice for Choice has asked the President of Malta George Vella to clarify whether he believes his own citizens who have had an abortion are “murderers.”

The group was reacting to a speech made by Vella on Sunday at a manifestation against abortion held in the Oratory of St John’s Co-Cathedral. Vella insisted that he was representing the absolute majority of people in Malta when he spoke against the introduction of abortion.

“As a citizen, I have no problem being at the forefront in defending the unborn child and opposing murder. Others are entitled to their opinion. My presence here is a statement in itself. No one needs to convince me about my position on this matter and this has nothing to do with religion. The position against murder was there well before Christ. I feel that I am representing the majority of people. Abortion is the murder of a baby in a woman’s womb,” Vella said.

The NGO said that while Vella is entitled to his personal opinion, when he “flaunts” it as head of an EU member state it creates several problems, “and it has implications on the State's relationship with its own citizens and other countries.”

“We know for a fact that hundreds of women in Malta have an abortion each year. The majority of abortions, whether conducted abroad or illegally in Malta, are performed by the pregnant woman administering two tablets to herself, thereby causing a miscarriage, Since these women are effecting their own abortion, does our President believe they are murderers?” the NGO said.

The coalition also highlighted that Malta is the only EU member state with a complete ban on abortion. "All other states have legalised it to varying degrees. In light of his view that 'abortion is murder', does our President believe other countries have legalised murder?"

It claimed that if that was the case then Malta should have no business forming part of such a bloc of states and that the president should start campaigning for Malta to leave the EU.

“Of course this is unlikely to happen for as long as Malta remains a net beneficiary of EU money,” the NGO said.