The visit by Rebecca Gomperts in Malta a few days ago once again brought up the subject of abortion in the local media.

Dr Gomperts is project director of a pro-choice, non-profit organisation Women on Waves, which offers the possibility to women who live in countries where abortion is illegal to abort on a ship anchored in international waters.

As expected, the visit pushed the pro-life movement Gift of Life to come out in full swing against the concept of abortion. The movement organised a symbolic protest outside the hotel where Dr Gomperts was giving a public talk.

Judging by the numbers, it must be said that the anti-abortion feeling in Malta is still high. Only a handful of people heard the talk delivered by Dr Gomperts, while there were many more who took part in the protest.

As usually happens in similar situations in Malta, what was planned as a silent protest was turned into a religious event, something that irritated a few of the protestors who felt that religion should not have been involved. Mixing religion with civil rights has always been a characteristic of the Maltese, and not everyone appreciates the involvement of a religious sentiment in such matters.

The Church took the opportunity of Dr Gomperts’ visit to once again make its stand public and, although the doctor’s name was not mentioned in the press statement issued on the day she was here, it is clear that the Curia was making reference to it.

On the other hand, the political parties were conspicuously silent about the whole thing, preferring to let it go by without making official comments about it, perhaps fearing that anything said would have sparked a controversy that they want to avoid with the election so near. Or perhaps they were too busy planning for the budget 2008.

Abortion has been a hot political issue over the past years, more recently when the government came up with the idea of entrenching the illegality of abortion in the Constitution. Signatures started being collected but the issue seems to have been put on the political back burner over the past few months, largely because although there was widespread support of the idea, currents against the move were also strong.

And this is perhaps why this time round the political parties opted to remain silent, in spite of being pushed into making a public statement by Gift of Life. Movement leader Paul Vincenti called on the government and the opposition to take a stand on the issue, making particular reference to Labour leader Alfred Sant who has still to express himself on the matter.

But it is highly unlikely at this stage that the Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party will bring up the subject at the height of an electoral campaign. Still, by remaining silent does not mean that the issue will go away.

From time to time, the subject of abortion will rear its head. There will be people who will insist that women should have the right to choose. On the other hand, there will be people who will strongly defend the rights of the unborn child.

What must be remembered is that abortion is the termination of a life in its beginning. Anti-abortion movements have been described as being hysterical in the way they go about manifesting their opposition to the practice, but it must be said that they are right in defending the rights of unborn children, who would otherwise be defenceless.

We were all conceived and went through the process of growing into our mother’s wombs. Had that process been stopped by abortion, we would not be reading this.