The pro-life organisation Gift of Life are retracting a statement made in November 2006 to the effect that Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) chairman Harry Vassallo had signed their online petition in favour of their pro-life stance, because his signature is nowhere to be found.
In a recent interview in the local media, it was said that Dr Vassallo insisted he had not actually signed the petition but simply told Gift of Life director Paul Vincenti that he was in favour of life and “that he can tell the whole world about it. I did not do any U-turn as I have always been against abortion.”
Mr Vincenti told this newspaper that, following this article, Gift of Life carried out a thorough search of their online petition database but could not locate Dr Vassallo’s signature.
Last year, as part of their ongoing campaign to collect signatures before these were presented to parliament, Gift of Life sent emails requesting several MPs and members of NGOs and political parties to sign the petition.
In September 2006, one of these emails was sent to Dr Vassallo. He said: “I have signed your online petition but find it almost meaningless.”
He went on to say that the petition “boils down to almost nothing at all” because there is no one who is working for the introduction of abortion in Malta.
Dr Vassallo pointed out that all three political parties were “explicitly against” abortion and that AD is “a corporate member of pro-life organisations.”
He also called for more education and a culture change to help women take more informed decisions.
After several emails between Gift of Life director Paul Vincenti and Dr Vassallo debating the need for the petition, Dr Vassallo said: “You can tell the world that I am against abortion and that I am in favour of the protection of human life from conception.”
In an email sent to Dr Vassallo in November 2006, Gift of Life forwarded a press release to confirm that the information stated was correct.
The press release read as follows: “Gift of Life wish to announce that Dr Harry Vassallo has recently signed the online petition in favour of providing the unborn child with the right to life from conception. Dr Vassallo said in an email to Gift of Life that ‘he is against abortion and in favour of the protection of human life from conception’.”
Dr Vassallo replied and stated that it was fine and told Gift of Life to go ahead and publish the press release.
“At the time, we had no reason to doubt that he did not sign the petition and consequently we did not check the database. We took his word for it,” said Mr Vincenti.
He said that this situation was most alarming and “it seems that Dr Vassallo cannot make up his mind if he is or he is not in favour of the constitutional amendment.”
In the interview, Dr Vassallo also said: “Instead of creating moral panic, we should make our abortion laws more reasonable when it comes to protecting a mother’s life.” He was referring to cases that are not catered for in the law, when doctors perform abortions in the event of ectopic pregnancies, when the mother would die if the procedure is not carried out.
However, Mr Vincenti expressed his concern at this statement and said: “These so-called sensitive cases are always the entry point for abortion to be introduced into society.”