Two main political parties in Malta are pro-life

The island's two major parties come out against abortion and euthanasia.

Life triumphs in Malta. As Right To Life reports, thanks to a massive national pro-life campaign, the island’s two main political parties, the Labor Party and the Nationalist Party, have both made public commitments to ensure the continued legal protection of unborn children.

Abela’s statements

In a 2020 interview, Labor Party leader and prime minister, Robert Abela, stated that there would never be a referendum on abortion in Malta and that he was personally “against abortion under any circumstances.” Similarly, the head of the Nationalist Party, Bernard Grech, said he was “proud that [his] party is pro-life” and that he had “never had problems swimming against the tide”, adding: “For me, the child [must be] privileged. Because it is a life, a person that no one can defend more than his parents, and if one of his parents wants [to end his life], I believe it is my duty as a human being, before being a politician, to defend that life.”

The survey

In view of the elections, Life Network Foundation Malta had conducted a major campaign, through the website Ivotta Favur il-Hajja.org, inviting parties to clarify their stance to the electorate. While both major parties spoke out strongly in support of the right to life of unborn children, the minor parties gave mixed responses. Right To Life UK spokeswoman Catherine Robinson said, “It is encouraging to see that the two major parties, although ideologically opposed on many things, recognize the right to life of the unborn child.”

The Metsola case

In January, iFamNews covered the case of Maltese politician Roberta Metsola, current president of the European Parliament, who in the past never made a secret of her anti-abortion position. However, this was all before she became president of the European Parliament. Now that she sits at the head of that assembly, she promises to ensure “reproductive health” and “reproductive rights.” A prime example of the two-faced Janus: initially pro-life in Malta, but now she has adapted to the dominant thought in Brussels.