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Maltese Prime Minister and Bishop's Conference Reject United Nations Abortion Push

VALLETTA, December 1, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A United Nations committee recommendation to Malta to legalize abortion has been rejected by Maltese Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi, and condemned by the Roman Catholic Bishops of Malta.

LifeSiteNews.com first revealed the UN directive to Malta yesterday. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in official recommendations to Malta, released November 26 said, "The Committee urges the State party to review its legislation on abortion and consider exceptions to the general prohibition of abortion for cases of therapeutic abortions and when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest."

In comments to LifeSiteNews.com, Edgar Galea-Curmi, head of the Prime Minister's Secretariat, said: "The Maltese Government does not agree with the Committee's recommendation to review Maltese legislation on abortion." Galea-Curmi concluded, "We consider that abortion is in complete contradiction with one of the main tenets of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, namely that the best interests of children are paramount."

After a comment yesterday to LifeSiteNews.com by the Archbishop of Malta rejecting the UN ruling, the Bishops of Malta issued a press release condemning the abortion push. "The United Nations Committee's pressure on the Maltese State to legalise abortion in certain circumstances is objectionable and unacceptable. We regret very much the United Nations Committee's decision to make such unfortunate pressure on our country," said the statement signed by Joseph Mercieca, Archbishop of Malta; Nicholas J. Cauchi, Bishop of Gozo; and Annetto Depasquale, Auxiliary Bishop of Malta.

The bishops encouraged "the Maltese people to remain steadfast in their appreciation and defence of human life from its conception, and in their total rejection of abortion." They concluded by addressing Maltese officials. "We also encourage all the representatives of our people to continue not only to reject abortion without any reservations, but also to never stop pronouncing themselves in defence of life and against the killing, through abortion, of persons totally unable to defend themselves," the Bishops wrote.

Malta has been outspoken in defence of its pro-life legislation. The Catholic Church in the predominantly Catholic country has been at the forefront of the battle to defend life. In 2002, the European Union's enlargement commissioner, Gunther Verheugen, assured Malta Archbishop Mercieca that the European Union would never take jurisdiction over abortion. Verheugen stressed that the EU would never tell Malta or any other member state to legislate in favour of abortion. The EU, he pointed out, had no jurisdiction over abortion or similar issues and this position was "definite, absolute and forever".

That same year, Malta's Permanent Delegate to the EU, Ambassador Victor Camilleri, criticized an EU resolution in favour of abortion, reiterating his government's position on abortion. "Not only is abortion illegal in Malta," he said, "but successive governments... have been strongly committed to retaining the legal prohibition and have held this position also in the context of European and international fora, not least at the level of the United Nations." He said abortion is a domestic issue on which the EU "has no competence to act, decide or legislate."

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
United Nations Now Pushes Chile and Malta to Legalize Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov/04113003.html

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