Independent MP Marlene Farrugia has invited the government to devise an assembly of citizens to discuss the decriminalisation of abortion, after Malta’s two major political parties refused to discuss the matter in parliament.

Farrugia advised that the government should follow Ireland’s example, during campaign to repeal the eighth amendment in 2018, whereby a group of 99 random people who had links to abortion were brought together and held consultations on the amendment.

Feedback from these 99 individuals was then passed on to government to discuss in parliament. This led to a referendum, after which the amendment was passed.

She urged the government to devise the assembly since it doesn’t feel “prepared or comfortable to discuss if a woman should make a decision about her own life and her own body”.

Hand-in-hand with decriminalization of abortion, Farrugia also said that Malta must work to ensure that boys and girls are educated from an early age about sex to ensure that any unwanted pregnancies are avoided.

Additionally, she said that society should ensure that women are given access to health care and are given free contraceptives.

These measures will work to ensure that pregnancies are avoided in the first place, she said.

Farrugia said that she believes that life begins at conception, when a woman’s egg is fertilised. This does not mean, however, that she is against abortion.

“The fact that life starts at conception does not mean that the woman needs to lose control of herself”, she said about this point.

Decriminalization will enormously help women who are living under the threat of going to prison for their actions, she said.

“This debate is about whether we trust women to make decisions about their life”, she said. “Do we trust them or not?”