Allow me to start by stating that I am not writing from any political bias or perspective (I am a proud floating voter).

And though I am a woman of faith, I am not writing from a faith perspective either. I am writing on the basis of reason – a capacity unique to human beings and one which we should use more often in the way we dialogue with each other.

The motive behind my stand against abortion is because science has proven to me that human life begins at conception and that, from conception onwards, we are dealing with a human individual with her/his own unique genetic makeup (DNA).

This individual is a human being with potential (to grow and develop) and not a potential human being. That is what science confirms.

So, if we are dealing with a human individual, then it is reasonable to conclude that that human individual has the basic human right to life.

So, what if the woman’s life is in danger because of that pregnancy? That issue is already effectively being dealt with. However, if necessary, then, yes, the law can be updated to ensure that if there is a proven danger to the woman’s life and if medicine or surgery cannot address that danger to save both lives, if she so chooses, the woman’s life should be saved and the doctors do not face criminal charges.

But we need to continue ensuring that this happens only if the woman’s life is in imminent danger and nothing else can be done and that this is not a matter of terminating an unwanted pregnancy.

And what if the woman’s health is at risk? May I respectfully remark that human health is constantly at risk and the risks involved are practically rarely correctly addressed.

For instance, the health, and even the lives, of many of us in Malta are at risk because of bad construction-site management (just look at the number of deaths and injuries from such accidents in Malta in the past few years); the health and the lives of many are at risk because of the traffic situation in our country (again, just look at the statistics); the health and lives of many are in danger because of drug abuse; the health and the lives of many are at risk because of alcohol abuse, smoking, passive smoking, bad eating habits or lack of proper exercise.

Yet, do we speak about terminating the causes of such risk factors, even when many actually died because of these very factors while, statistically, no woman died because of risks during pregnancy?

No, it is only terminating the life of a healthy unborn human individual that we speak of while we do not speak of stopping any of the other causes to so much damage to our health and even to so many deaths. That is, according to me, being so very unreasonable.

Besides, if we are speaking of health and particularly of woman’s health, what are we doing to ensure that women are given proper and prompt state-funded medical care?

Why is it that a woman (though this applies to every human individual) has to wait for months, if not years, to have an appointment with a consultant at Mater Dei Hospital if she has any symptoms worrying her? Why is it that often we need to opt for private medical assistance, unless we wait for months, if not years, for that appointment? Why is it that breast and colon cancer screening is offered every three years only and only to over 50s?

The law can be updated to ensure…the woman’s life should be saved and the doctors do not face criminal charges- Carmen Zammit

For instance, if we want to address women’s health during pregnancy, then women should be encouraged to have regular medical check-ups before they become pregnant so as to pre-empt problems and address issues before the pregnancy.

Also, if a woman has issues which are not compatible with pregnancy – and here I am not speaking from the comfort of a cosy couch sipping tea but from the harsh and cold reality of real-life experience which I personally went through at a young age – then that woman should be helped psychologically and medically to deal with the situation and safely avoid pregnancy in the first place.

Many chant the slogan “my body, my choice”. I beg to disagree with this slogan. Yes, it is my body. But though I have various choices on certain matters pertaining to my body, I have no choice over other matters.

Also, the core of the issue is that here we are not speaking of one individual, the pregnant woman but, scientifically, we are speaking of two human individuals – one who has the faculty of making a choice and the other who literally has to sit and bear the consequences of the choice of the other individual. We need to bear in mind, however, that both of them are human individuals and both have the right to live.

One final point which many ask about: what business is it of mine to speak about this matter? Of course, it is my business, as a human individual, a citizen, a taxpayer, a voter and a member of this society to see what is going on around me and to care for the well-being of our society, of the human individuals in this society and our country.

And it is also my business to defend each human individual’s life. It is my business to ensure that women facing social difficulties in their pregnancies are given all the care and assistance to enable them to give birth to their child and to make it possible for them to retain that child or to safely have it adopted.

It is my business to seek to ensure that the life of every human individual in the society of which I am part of is protected and safeguarded.

To conclude, my appeal is to face the truth of the proposed amendment and to dialogue in a civil and reasonable way, free from politics, with the sole purpose of making decisions in favour of the well-being of each human individual.

Carmen Zammit has a master’s degree in theology.