By a large majority the British Establishment at the House of Commons on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008, won a decisive YES in confirming that women are not inferior to men when it comes to implementing a decision that essentially belongs to women and women alone, namely whether or not to abort.

It had been no less than two decades that Britain's Abortion Law was debated and analyzed so thoroughly and this in view of important scientific developments in the field of genetics that - inter alia - were meant to show whether or not Britain`s 24-week termination period had to be lowered to a 22 / 20- week abortive prerogative.

At the end of a heavy debate,another pro-choice victory ensued in that while contending that no pregnant woman essentially desired an abortion,yet her fundamental right to do so had to be protected to the maximum possible which in scientific safe terms amounts to 24 weeks.

In truth, Abortion usually takes place not later than the twentieth week .This was a victory for fundamental women`s rights that in matters essentially exclusively appertaining to their physical and psychological well-being, women were not inferior to men and had every right to determine whether or not to abort. So Abortion in Britain remains legally possible up to the 24th week of pregnancy.

In the wake of important pro-choice decisions recently particularly the Council of Europe Resolution, developments within the European Union,and progressive trends in staunch Catholic Countries like Spain,Portugal and Italy, Malta cannot keep lagging behind in not facing and accepting the realities within our own thresholds.

Our Parliament must not only decriminalize Abortion by abrogating the crime from our Criminal Code on the grounds that it violates Malta`s Constitution and is discriminatory towards women, but furthermore must equally legislate to provide the utmost legal protection to pregnant women who for their own personal and private reasons need to resort to Abortion.

This is not an issue whether one is in favour of Abortion or not.It is a matter that appertains to the physical and psychological overall health of the individual involved, namely the pregnant woman. Hence it is a Pro-Choice parameter that a civilized State has to provide for in the supreme interests of its citizens that matter.

The State is not the Citizen`s Moral Guardian - it is the Beacon however to provide to each and every citizen the remedies available to achieve any particular objective.


Yours respectfully:
Emmy Bezzina:
Leader - Alpha Liberal Democratic Party