'Are you better off with divorce?' - The Today debate

Next Wednesday 13 April, the Today debate will be discussing the divorce issue at The Palace, Sliema at 6pm. The debate is open to the general public.

9 April 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

The seminar has as speakers Austin Bencini and Joyce Cassar from the Zwieg Bla Divorzju and Marlene Mizzi and Deborah Schembri for the Iva movement. The debate is being held as part of series of debates organised by MediaToday.

The debate will also invite guests to pass comments and ask questions. The seminar will be chaired by Roger de Giorgio and the discussion will be held in Maltese.

Tomorrow the Iva Movement will be organising a public debate in Rabat in St Paul’s square at 1030am. Journalist Kurt Sansone will be interviewing Deborah Schembri, chairperson of the same movement.

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a journalist must ask this, as i won't go waste my time with them- Mr.Austin Bencini and joyce, you who are leading a campaign against a divorce law, what and why are you trying to stop the law? and if you stop the law, you think that no more married people will seperate? and according to you, these hundreds of legally seperated people are still maried to you to the same partner? If you agree with that , than shame on you all! for saying for you they are still married to the same man or woman. I am sure that Joyce and Austin are representing the Church 100% . If not, what are you doing there? you have nothing to do with the divorce law, what is your problem? if you will say that you are doing this for the country best(people) than you are both Liars. you are there cause you were asked to be there. How can you decide for others? and remember this, noone will ever tell others what to do, after this referendum will be finished , and with the yes or no, still all will be the same . good marriages will still be on and bad marriages will stil be on. this marriage issue is never ending.

Angele Deguara •

The way this whole thing is cast is beyond stupid. Malta, as a country, will neither be better off, nor worse off with divorce. For divorce is not an economic or social policy that will boost or reduce welfare. Divorce is just a legal provision that allows couples who have decided to split, to split, and go their own way. Punto! Its their decision and de facto, these couples have already split. The reason divorce causes so much ire in Malta is that it removes the veil of hypocrisy behind which so many hide, including the Church. And, it seems to me, most people speaking against divorce seem to fail to make the difference between divorce as a provision in civil law and their obligations and beliefs as catholics. And,t his whole thing of saying that it will be mainly men that want divorce to make out with younger women smacks too much of pubertal machismo and is even more incredulous. For those that want to do so have already done so, in front of, or behind their spouse's back! For these, a marriage license is certainly no prerequisite for sexual adventures! So, I, a happily married man who will never contemplate divorce, will vote for it. And I will have absolutely no qualms of conscience because like adultery, or sins of thought (for the more philosophically inclined), which are both permitted under civil law, divorce is a matter of individual choice. Sure, children's' welfare is important, but a good divorce law will safeguard that as well as for any legal separation. Should we try to build more lasting marriages? Sure! But sticking one's head in the sand is not the way to start going about it!

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I bet there will be stooges giving their version of what divorce made for them. A very refreshing way to push one's own propaganda.