Women’s rights group wants all contraception to be free of charge
After all political parties committed themselves to an anti-abortion stance, the Women’s Rights Foundation publishes a list of expectations for politicians to put their money where their mouth is
5 February 2018, 5:26pm
Kurt Sansone
Kurt Sansone
2 min read
Women's Rights Foundation is calling on politicians to live up to their anti-abortion stance by investing money in measures that prevent unwanted pregnancies
Women's rights campaigners are calling for all contraception to be free of charge, and the creation of reproductive health clinics in the community.
In a lengthy Facebook missive the Women’s Rights Foundation said that politicians should live up to their anti-abortion commitment by investing money in measures that helped reduce abortion rates.
The reaction comes after representatives of the Labour Party, Nationalist Party, Democratic Party, Alternattiva Demokratika and Alleanza Bidla, reiterated their anti-abortion stand over the weekend. The statement also comes in the wake of a MaltaToday survey that found an outright rejection of abortion across all age groups. The only exception people appear to accept is if the mother's life is in danger.
The measures proposed by the group include “real access to all contraception”, specialised services for adolescents and other vulnerable groups “such as migrants, prostitutes and women for disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds”.
The list goes on, with the foundation challenging politicians to take the initiatives on board or risk being “hypocrites, who are happy to export the ‘problem’ off-shore as long as Malta remains holier-than-thou”.
“If you are truly against abortion, you are going to have to step up,” the foundation said.
What is the foundation expecting
The foundation says these measures have proven to reduce unwanted pregnancies worldwide
- All contraception becomes free of charge
- Reproductive health clinics in the community
- Specialized services for adolescents, migrants, prostitutes and women from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Evidence-based life-long sex education that is gender sensitive, monitored and evaluated regularly
- Respect and much better treatment and services for all mothers and their children
- Better welfare benefits
- Better access to affordable quality housing
- Better employment opportunities that are flexible and pay well
- Better family-friendly policies
- True accountability when it comes to fathers’ responsibilities
- All children born in Malta should live a life with dignity
Kurt Sansone is Executive Editor of MaltaToday.
He was formerly deputy editor of MaltaTod...
