Pro-lifers on a mission to stop morning-after pill

The Life Network Foundation are on a mission to reverse a decision taken by the Medicines Authority allowing the sale of the morning-after pill from pharmacies. After filing a judicial protest against the authority, the foundation has now invited an Italian gynaecologist “to prove” that the morning-after pill is an abortifacient.

According to the pro-lifers, allowing the sale of emergency contraception is “abortion through the backdoor”.

According to the World Health Organisation, emergency contraceptive pills prevent pregnancy by preventing or delaying ovulation. Levonorgestrel “may also work to prevent fertilization of an egg by affective the cervical mucus or the ability of sperm to bind to the egg”.

WHO states that emergency contraceptive pills are not effective once the process of implantation has begun, “and they will not cause abortion”.

However, Bruno Mozzanega – who is in Malta to give a talk on the introduction of the MAP – insists that emergency contraceptive pills are abortifacient and that both the World Health Organisation and the European Medicines Authority are 'taking women for a ride' when they claim otherwise.

“People have an ethic and they don’t want to abort systematically so [they] would think ‘how can we help them use our drugs? Let’s pass them as anti-fertilisation’. Unfortunately, I am convinced that this is the reason,” Mozzanega insisted during a meeting with journalists.

“I think women should protest against WHO and EMA… in Italy I protested and you should protest the gynaecologist who deceives you.”

According to Mozzanega, even Maltese legislators were “deceived” if they were told that pills like the EllaOne did not cause abortions.

Miriam Sciberras, chairwoman of the Life Network Foundation, said the discussion “which lasted a few weeks” gave rise to misinterpretation of scientific facts. A decision to allow EllaOne to be sold in pharmacies was only taken after a joint parliamentary committee met to discuss the issue.

“A new life begins at conception and pregnancy is established at the end of implantation which can be a process of 12 to 15 days after fertilisation. Embryonic life in Malta is protected from fertilisation; abortion is illegal,” Sciberras said.

She also stated that politicians were being misled and “not given scientific advise according to Maltese law”.

Sciberras, whose foundation will be organising a talk on the MAP with Mozzanega, accused Professor Mark Brincat and Medicines Authority chairperson Anthony Serracino Inglott of “chickening out” of a lecture with the Italian doctor.

Serracino Inglott today filed a counter-protest to deny the “unfounded” allegations raised by the foundation in their judicial protest.