Gift of Life wishes to point out to Alternattiva Demokratika that they have got their facts wrong concerning the Right to Life Campaign. The proposal made by Gift of Life and being discussed with the government and the opposition has never been to entrench any part of the criminal code into the Constitution of Malta. In fact, we are in agreement with AD on one thing and that is that we also disagree with that concept as the Constitution is not about laws but rights, including human rights.

We are surprised that AD is still under the impression that the proposal has anything to do with the entrenchment of the criminal code. This was an idea first put forward by Dr Tonio Borg in 2004. Since that time, the issue being discussed has always been to clearly include the unborn child as also enjoying the right to life in article 33 by amending the Constitution as follows. Sub-article (1) of Article 33 of the Constitution which states “1) No person shall intentionally be deprived of his life save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence under the law of Malta of which he has been convicted.” shall be substituted with the following: “(1)No person shall intentionally be deprived of his life as from conception. The objects and reasons of the purpose of this Bill is to include in the Constitution the right of life of the unborn.”

Respectfully we ask AD to confirm their facts before making public statements (TMID, 20 September). We would also appreciate knowing if AD has any objections to the proposal as detailed in this press release and if so, on what grounds they would object?

Paul Vincenti

Gift of Life