As protesters prepare to gather outside the Prime Minister’s office to demonstrate against an abortion bill, Robert Abela pledged to see the proposed law through.
“We’re ready to keep on discussing but the main principles behind the bill will remain strong as steel,” Abela told a political rally in Fgura this morning. “Women’s lives shouldn’t be subjected to political compromise and women’s health isn’t a negotiable topic.”
The Prime Minister once again played down fears that the law – which will allow doctors to terminate pregnancies if they believe the mother’s life or health is in serious danger – will result in the legalisation of abortion by stealth.
“I strongly believe that we couldn’t decide to remain indifferent to people’s realities just for the sake of avoiding political controversy,” Abela said. “We knew that very few mothers will require this legal amendment, but even if a single mother needs it, we would still have a duty to act.”
“This is a reform instigated by the courage to place people at the centre, and to give doctors and mothers legal comfort that they can act without the risk of criminal prosecution hanging over their heads.”
“As it stands, the process is regulated by secret SOPs which the medical community assumed provided them with legal comfort. Prospective mothers who had serious medical complications have opened up to us about how they were forced to continue with a pregnancy that was doomed to fail, along with the fear that their complications could aggravate.”
“As it stands, the principle is that doctors should keep stretching the pregnancy out for as long as possible until the mother’s life is at risk, but despite the peace of mind doctors though they had, this secret practice is illegal.”
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