Reiterating his position against abortion, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this afternoon that as long as he remained at the helm of the Labour Party, he did not foresee any discussion on the introduction of abortion in Malta.
Dr Muscat made this statement during a news conference at St George's Square in Valletta in which the Labour Party spoke on its civil rights manifesto proposals.
Doubts on Labour's position on abortion were raised by former Labour MP Godfrey Farrugia who, in his resignation letter from PL whip, had voiced his concern that the Labour Youth Forum and the women's section had diverging opinions on pro-life issues.
During the news conference, the Prime Minister said St George's Square would be remembered as the venue of one of the most spontaneous celebrations ever, which had marked the introduction of civil unions. He pointed out that people who up to four years ago were invisible to society were now enjoying full equality.
“The very first step was Labour's decision to withdraw the case against Joanne Cassar who is now being treated with dignity,” he said.
Dr Muscat warned that the policy makers of the previous PN government were still pulling the strings while extremist candidates had joined the party. The Labour leader cast doubts on the PN's pledge to retain the civil liberties introduced since 2013.
On the PL's proposal for a debate on the recreational use of cannabis, he said a decision would be taken by the end of the year on the strength of the experts' advice. Nevertheless, he reiterated his stance in favour of its legalisation.
Regarding the PL's proposal on prostitution, he said the aim was to safeguard victims from slavery and not to open brothels.
On her part, Civil Rights Minister Helena Dalli noted that Malta retained top place in the Rainbow Index despite having been in 18th place up to a few years ago.
Referring to the major developments under the Labour government, she said that, so far, 194 couples had already benefitted from the introduction of civil unions and a further 70 individuals benefited from the Sexual Identity Act.
She also referred to the setting up of an LGBTIQ consultative council. Dr Dalli noted that the Cohabitation Act finally came into force, after having been in the pipeline for years.
Dr Dalli said one of the first measures of a Labour government would be the legalisation of gay marriages. A Human Rights and Equality Commissioner would also be appointed by Parliament. Other measures listed in the Labour manifesto include quotas to increase female MPs.