Five years since the morning-after pill became available over the counter, the contraceptive remains inaccessible to many women as not all pharmacies stock it, Rosianne Cutajar told parliament on Monday.

"Women in Qormi and in Gozo still cannot access the pill from a pharmacy near them if they need one on Sunday or on a public holiday," she said.

"They have to drive around or take the bus to find the pill.

"Why do we need to run around from one pharmacy to another trying to figure out who sells it? This is how backwards we are in 2021: we're still discussing contraception accessibility for women."

The Labour MP said that in 2021 there were even fewer pharmacies that carried the pill than there were in 2020.

"What's even worse is that there are still people who are imposing their morality on others," she said, ostensibly referring to conservatives who view the pill as immoral.

"The constitution clearly states that conscience may not be used to justify discrimination. This is not the Malta I want for our children," she said, referencing her own party's budget slogan.

Cutajar added that gender inequality was still highly institutionalised and cemented in the way Malta's systems of administration functioned.

The morning after pill was made available to adults over the counter without a doctor's prescription in 2016, but a MaltaToday investigation last week revealed that obtaining one on Sunday or a public holiday was still quite challenging since many pharmacies still did not sell it.