The right to life for all

This letter treats the matter of abortion and the assertion that, if it is made available on request, it will remove the anomaly of gender inequality as the provision will be made to look just in law.

It is subjective thinking in view of the child’s right to life pre/post birth, a right that is absolute and non-negotiable.

Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger had said that “… the natural law, written in the heart for the value of human life from the very beginning until its end, can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected, to the highest degree”.

Pro-choice activists may concede to hear what the survivors of botched abortions will say. They plead life in favour of the unborn child at each stage of gestation.

It is helpful knowing what there is to know about the issue of being surgically removed. A silent cry, silent though it may be, is a pointer and, if shown for a phonetic script, becomes a living language. It defines the dimensions of the human brain and the heart pulsating life. The gain of consciousness and, later, the language spoken will bridge any divide in the community.

It is the worker’s jargon at the production line, as much as the mother tongue of the newly-elected MP at one’s maiden speech.

It is the oratory of the politician championing the case for human rights. It is the way of the medical practitioner to help the patient grasp a medical condition. It is the conviction of the one who pleads a case in court and the lucidity of the journalist reporting on the proceedings.

It is the gibberish of the addict likely to go on a drug trip. It is the facetious effort of the student defending a dissertation.

It is the carriage of the scientist classifying data in a lab and the bartender’s cup of tea in the beer garden.

The space age has its academics. Ratzinger, perhaps the foremost, may be heeded, not as the bishop of Rome emeritus but as a thinker, at the turning point in the history of humanity in its endeavour to understand the universe and the relevance of human life.

It is asserted, that “life is the first good received from God and is fundamental to all others; to guarantee the right to life for all and in an equal manner for all is the duty upon which the future of humanity depends’’.

Francis Attard - Marsa

Herd immunity

Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Herd immunity is a term that has kept surfacing quite often over the last 18 months. Before delving into the meaning of this phrase, particularly at this point in time during our country’s battle with COVID-19, it is best to differentiate between efficiency and efficacy of the jabs imported into Malta.

Efficacy is concerned with getting something done while efficiency is concerned with the ratio of output to input and is often expressed as a percentage.

Let us say a particular shot is 70 per cent efficient and that 82 per cent of Malta has received such a shot in connection with COVID-19. Then, the efficiency at which the battle with COVID is being tackled would be 0.7 X 0.82 = 0.574 = 57.4 per cent. But since the shot is 70 per cent efficient only, the exercise leaves us with a deficit of 100 per cent – 57.4 per cent, that is, 43.6 per cent. For some this would be efficient enough although the efficacy lags behind.

So it is imperative that as many people as possible take the jab.

Consider now, a jab that is 80 per cent efficient received by 90 per cent of the population. In such a scenario the efficiency goes up to 72 per cent – an excellent improvement over the previous 57.4 per cent and I have no doubt that herd immunity would be in the bag.

Finally, we should be pleased that the government and opposition are working hand in hand with the health department.

Let lawyers be lawyers but, at this point in time, let doctors be doctors. We have had our fill of interference by lawyers up to some time ago. Hopefully lessons have been learnt.

Both efficiency and efficacy have crossed paths and are on the rise.

Joseph Grech - Birkirkara

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