The chairman of the Divorce Movement, Deborah Schembri, said today that it would be a mistake for MPs to ignore the outcome of the May 28 referendum on divorce.

Although the referendum was consultative, it has major moral importance, she said.

Winning the referendum but being unable to get divorce legislation though parliament would be akin to winning a general election but not garnering enough votes in Parliament, Dr Schembri said, adding, however, that that was unlikely to happen.

Dr Schembri was replying to questions by journalist Kurt Sansone at an activity in Rabat.

Dr Schembri said the referendum would pit altruism vs egoism. She was all in favour of lasting marriages, she said, but those whose marriage was strong should give a chance to those who had separated to start afresh.

“The day may also come when anyone could need to resort to divorce even if they do not need it today.”

Divorce was a state of fact, she insisted. Divorce was a declaration that a marriage had ended. What was broken was broken, she stressed.

Asked whether divorce, by nature, weakened the institution of marriage, she said broken marriages could not be weakened more.

Dr Schembri said that what was being proposed in Malta was a 'responsible' divorce' with couples needing to have been separated for four years in the last five in order to be eligible for divorce.

Studies had shown that if a couple was to get back together, it was normally within two years of a separation, she explained. But she preferred to be “conservative and err on the side of caution”.

The right for maintenance after divorce was not automatic, but the proposed law would guarantee it, Dr Schembri added.