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2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 MAY 2021 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA THE chair of the parliamentary commit- tee has refused to discuss a topical sub- ject on sexual health and reproductive rights for women, because its proponent Godfrey Farrugia has seconded a private member's bill to decriminalise abortion. Labour MP and family doctor Silvio Grixti said Farrugia's proposal was "un- doubtedly an important subject" but since it was the subject of a private member's bill he was seconding, that motion was now in the hands of the Clerk of the House. Grixti said that for that reason, that motion now had to proceed according to simi- lar motions awaiting their first reading. The House Business Committee on Monday made no reference to the private member's bill to decriminalise abortion. It is this committee that decides whether the bill is to be given a first reading. Farrugia, partner of independent MP Marlene Farrugia, is backing her call to put forward for debate a private mem- ber's bill calling for the decrminalisa- tion of abortion, which places criminal liability on women who seek a termina- tion, who stand to be imprisoned for up to three years. Farrugia has also asked the chair of the socials affairs committee to place reproductive rights on the next committee agenda. Farrugia told social affairs committee Labour MP Silvio Parnis that the bill be placed on the agenda of the next health committee meeting. "It is our obliga- tion as Members of Parliament, and as legislators, to help fos- ter a fair and just soci- ety, which favours lives lived with dignity and empathy to others," Farrugia said. "It is our duty to be understanding to those needs and to lis- ten. It is also our duty to create non-judge- mental platforms for discussion on such issues." "Without this, we are not equipped to create and build a legislative envi- ronment that is re- flective of these expe- riences," Farrugia said. The parliamentary committee is com- posed of Labour MPs Silvio Grixti, Silvio Parnis, Justyne Caruana and Rosianne Cutajar, and Nationalist MPs Ivan Bar- tolo, Maria Deguara and David Agius. The bill Marlene Farrugia presented in the House calls for the decriminali- sation of abortion and to ensure no per- son or medical professional is criminal- ised "for the choice pertaining to their medical health and/or the provision of medical assistance. Such criminalisa- tion is discriminatory." The amendment Bill calls for the strik- ing off of Article 241(1) of the Criminal Code, which outlaws the 'procuring of a miscarriage', which carries a prison conviction of up to three years for women. The Bill also de- mands the strik- ing off of Article 242, which holds anyone assist- ing the abortion to the punishment for wilful homicide or wilful bodily harm, diminished by one to two degrees; Article 242 which holds any medical professional who administers "the means where- by the miscarriage is procured" liable to imprisonment of four years; Article 243(a), which holds anyone who causes an abortion by "unskilfulness in his art of profession" liable to a fine of up to €2,329. The Bill asks that articles 242 and 243(a) are substituted with a 10-year imprisonment for whoever carries out a forced, non-consensual abortion for non-medical reasons "by means of vio- lence, force, deceit, bribery, threats or coercion". Health committee turns down Farrugia's request to discuss reproductive rights Godfrey Farrugia Silvio Grixti TWO new cases of COV- ID-19 were registered on Tuesday, the health ministry said. 430,508 doses of the COV- ID-19 vaccine have been administered until Monday. Of these, 147,667 people are fully vaccinated. Total recoveries stand at 29,941 while total cases reg- istered stand at 30,486. There are 128 active COV- ID-19 cases. No deaths were registered in the last 24-hours. The total number of deaths is 417. 1,693 swab tests were car- ried out in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of swabs to 900,491. COVID-19: Two new cases and 21 recoveries