The Commissioner for Children yesterday reacted to a resolution approved by the Council of Europe, which calls on member states to decriminalise abortion, unless they have already done so.

In a statement, the Office of the Commissioner for Children said: “The commissioner strongly feels that the unborn child should be given due consideration as an individual and treated with the dignity and respect that is accorded to any other human being.

“It is vital that this idea continues to be promoted, so that the unborn child will fully benefit and enjoy the rights that he or she is entitled to,” said the statement.

The Council of Europe approved the resolution following the publication of the first report of its type by the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The report states: “Abortion on request is, in theory, available in all Council of Europe member states, apart from Andorra, Malta, Monaco, Ireland and Poland.

“Even in member states where abortion is legal, conditions are not always such as to guarantee women effective access to this right.

“The lack of local health care facilities, the lack of doctors willing to carry out abortions, the repeated medical consultations required, the time allowed for changing one’s mind and the waiting time for the abortion, all have the potential to make access to abortion more difficult, or even impossible in practice. Women must be allowed freedom of choice and offered the conditions leading to a free and enlightened choice”.

Approved by a large majority of the committee’s members, the report invites all member states to guarantee women’s effective exercise of their right to abortion and to lift restrictions which hinder access to safe abortion, de jure or de facto, by creating the appropriate conditions for health, medical and psychological care and offering suitable financial cover.

Lastly, the report states that under no circumstance should abortion be regarded as a family planning method and must be avoided as far as possible. It is therefore necessary to ensure access to contraception at a reasonable cost and to introduce compulsory sex education for young people in schools.

On the other hand, the Office of the Commissioner for Children referred to the preamble to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stating that “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth”.

Commissioner for Children Carmen Zammit said the unborn child is particularly vulnerable, at such a delicate stage in its development. It is necessary for parents, officials, and adults to be diligent and conscientious on this issue, and to advocate the best interests of the child whenever children themselves are unable to do so, said Ms Zammit.

The Commissioner for Children Act itself also highlights this, stating that one of the functions of the Commissioner for Children is “to promote the highest standards of health and social services for women during pregnancy and to promote special care and protection, including adequate legal protection, for children both before and after birth”.

The issue was last given prominence locally when pro-life movement Gift of Life presented a petition to Members of Parliament a couple of months ago. The petition was signed by 36,010 people and calls on MPs to entrench the anti-abortion law in the Constitution.

Moreover, way back in October, abortion doctor Rebecca Gomperts’ visit to Malta was met with disapproval from the pro-life lobby, which organised a silent protest in the name of their stand against abortion.