Catholic Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta issued a strong warning Sunday to the country as its leaders face pressure to legalize the killing of unborn babies in abortions, saying Catholic teachings about life are “neither for sale nor negotiable.”
Malta is one of the few countries in Europe that protects unborn babies’ right to life. However, the small island nation is facing intense international pressure to legalize abortion on demand.
According to Newsbook, its Parliament plans to consider a bill this winter to clarify that abortions are allowed only when the mother’s life is at risk. But Scicluna and others fear abortion activists will insist on including language to legalize elective abortions, too.
In his homily Sunday at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Scicluna said lawmakers must not “leave the door ajar” for elective abortions, the report states.
“I ask – in God’s name, ask – that we do not leave the door ajar to abortion with a clause that may end up being twisted so that the exception becomes the rule,” he said.
Scicluna said every human being from conception to natural death is valuable, and unborn babies’ right to life “is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right.”
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“The Church’s teaching in favor of life is neither for sale nor negotiable,” he continued.
The archbishop urged MPs to remember the “great sense of responsibility” that they have to protect life as leaders of Malta, according to the report.
“If you want to defend women, understand that every woman developed inside a womb, as have the MPs who will decide on this bill, as have I,” he said. “We are here because someone chose to bring us into this world. Who are we to deny this to our own children?”
Malta has resisted international pressure to legalize abortion for years. In 2013, pro-abortion groups accused the country of “torture” because its laws protect unborn babies’ lives. The accusation came from the International Commission of Jurists in a report to the Human Rights Council. It also claimed Malta is unnecessarily endangering women’s lives by prohibiting abortions.
Polls consistently show strong public opposition to abortion in Malta.
Until recently, a number of European countries protected unborn babies by prohibiting abortions. However, Ireland abandoned its pro-life laws in 2018 and Northern Ireland was forced to legalize abortion 2019 by the British Parliament.
Abortions are illegal in almost all cases in Poland, but Malta is the only European country that fully prohibits abortions.
ACTION ALERT: Contact lawmakers in Malta and urge them to oppose pro-abortion legislaton.
