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Malta Pro-Life Urges Constitutional Protection for Unborn

By Gudrun Schultz

MARSASCALA, Malta, November 7, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Malta’s leading pro-life organization is lobbying Members of Parliament to alter the constitution so unborn children are granted constitutional rights, the Times of Malta reported Sunday.

While abortion is illegal in the Catholic country, the Gift of Life foundation believes the law may change without a constitution guarantee of protection for the unborn.

"We do not want it to be used as a political card and that is why we want the Constitution to be changed now," Gift of Life spokesman Paul Vincenti told The Times.

"We want to urge Parliament to do something. Everyone claims to be pro-life, but nothing has been done yet," he said. The foundation wants to see the constitution amended to include a statement that the right to life begins at conception.

Foundation members presented parliamentarians with flyers, handed out models of a nine-week-old unborn child and showed a video featuring graphic images of aborted babies, in a well-publicized event held last week to encourage the government to act on the issue.

So far the foundation has collected over 13,000 voters’ signatures in support of the inclusion of the unborn child’s right to life in the Constitution of Malta, a spokesperson told LifeSiteNews.com in an email statement.

Foundation organizers are promoting the pro-life symbol ‘+9’, representing the nine months of life in the womb uncounted in standard methods of age reckoning.

“We want to export this symbol to the globe as we believe that the whole pro-life ministry must unite under a single message that is easily recognizable,” the foundation stated.

Gift of Life is using the bulk of its resources to lobby for the change, Vincenti said. The organization wants to see parliament take action so resources can be allocated to other areas.

"One of our plans is to open a pregnancy clinic in Malta so that women who are contemplating abortion can find help and someone to talk to.

"Often they are still unsure as to whether they are pregnant, and we want to get that concern out of the way. We have an ultrasound machine so we will be able to confirm whether they are in fact pregnant," he said.
 
The foundation supports women who decide to keep their babies by providing them with diapers and formula. Other plans include a post-abortion support service and a charity shop to raise funds for the foundation.

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

Vast Gap in Malta between Reality And Media Picture of Abortion Forces
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jun/05060207.html

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