In December 2004, I received a phone call from Michael. He had read a letter that Gift of Life had written in response to the recommendations made by the United Nations that Malta should relax its laws prohibiting abortion. Michael came to see me at home. He was excited and had a certain urgency about him. He had worked in Ireland and seen how a Constitutional amendment there had prevented the country from developing an abortion culture. This humble, intelligent and energetic man who turned up from nowhere touched us all. Michael joined Gift of Life and championed the pro-life proposal that was presented to the Parliamentary Social Affairs Committee on 24 January 2005.

We only knew Michael for a short time. Exactly one year to be precise. Yet in that one year, he made an unbelievable impact on us as individuals, the group and. indeed, the whole island, inspiring the pro-life movement and us with his amazing zeal and devotion to the unborn. Michael’s dream was to see Malta better protected from abortion.

Amazingly, the intensity of his work in the pro-life movement only increased after he was diagnosed. In spite of his illness, he seemed to completely devote himself to the pro-life cause working in a tireless manner, writing countless letters to newspapers, attending meetings with the government and the opposition as we all worked together with one common vision, to find the best way to guarantee the right to life for the most defenceless through the Constitution of Malta.

We will always remember Michael as a kind, generous and apologetic person of few words who practised his medical profession with dedication. He was shy of the limelight and strong in his faith and belief in truth. In his last letter to a newspaper he wrote, “In this age of moral relativism, there is no absolute truth. Truth is relative, truth is expendable”. This age of relativism worried Michael and he worked to keep truth in its rightful place.

We are all better men and women for having known Michael. He was a generous man who was rich in love, a love that extended to the most defenceless of our kind, the human embryo from the moment of conception. It is for this reason that we do not say goodbye to Michael, but see you soon dear friend. We know that you are with Love today, surrounded by the many beautiful faces of those children you fought so tirelessly to protect. Gift of Life and the whole movement salute you. We assure you of our prayers for you and your family and look forward to that day when together, with God’s grace, we will all rejoice as Malta enshrines the right to life of the unborn in the Constitution.

Paul Vincenti

Gift Of Life Foundation