Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1480113
NEWS 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 SEPTEMBER 2022 Pro-choice youngsters withdraw from abortion debate after being singled out by pro-life activist Church sets up €30,000 for migrant hospitality in parishes MAYA DIMITRIJEVIC PRO-CHOICE students were forced to drop out of a youth parliament debate on abortion after receiving flak when their names were shared on pro-life social media groups. From an original list of 27 students, who were to make pro-choice arguments in the National Youth Parliament or- ganised by the Kunsill Nazzjon- ali taż-Żgħażagħ, 18 dropped out after the list of names of was leaked to notable pro-life activ- ist Simon Debono. Debono published the list of pro-choice speakers on pro-life discussion groups in an effort to shame and discourage the par- ticipants from taking part. His attempts were successful as many of the young partici- pants began dropping out fol- lowing backlash on social media. Some pro-life advocates went as far as to contact the parents of the participants to convince the speakers to drop out. Many medical students also began dropping out in fear of facing academic repercussions if any of their conservative lec- turers were to discover they are in favour of decriminalising abortion. Prior to the list being pub- lished on social media, the teams were set up relatively fair, with around 27 participants to argue in favour of the motion to decriminalise abortion and 30 to argue against. Eventually, in the debate that took place on Tuesday morn- ing inside parliament, only nine pro-choice speakers were left to argue the case in favour of de- criminalisation. KNŻ national officer Bradley Cachia told MaltaToday the list of names was an internal docu- ment and the source of the leak remains unknown. KNŻ had denounced the leak when it occurred at the start of the month and condemned any immature behaviour used to in- timidate anyone with an oppos- ing opinion. Labour MP Randolph De Battista, who was present for today's debate, expressed out- rage and disappointment when learning that many participants had dropped out due to social media backlash for simply hav- ing an opinion. In a Facebook post, De Battit- sta said "this mentality has to stop in this country". He said the debate was respectful and mature. "It is never acceptable to discourage young people from making their voices heard on topics that they believe in," De Battista said. The debate on abortion was organised by KNŻ for partici- pants aged 18 to 30. The event is an annual occurrence. KNŻ official Bradley Cachia opened the debate by calling for a mature discussion with fresh new perspectives. He said the scope of this project is to offer a safe space for students to ex- press their diverse opinions and that nobody should be judged on the basis of their own beliefs. The mock parliamentary ses- sion also included a vote on the resolution. The outcome of the debate will be presented to the Prime Minister, the Opposition leader and the President. Young people taking part in the National Youth Parliament debated a motion calling for the decriminalisation of abortion Pro-choice youngsters were forced to withdraw from a debate on abortion as part of the National Youth Parliament after they faced backlash when their names were leaked on pro-life social media groups THE Archdiocese of Malta has established a fund of €30,000 to promote hospitality initiatives within parishes and other com- munities. The Church will be using the fund – set up to mark 2022 World Day of Migrants and Refugees themed 'Building the Future with Migrants and Ref- ugees' – to encourage collab- orative initiatives within the community between citizens and migrants. The fund is being set up as a follow-up to Pope Francis's message during his visit to Malta, which recalled how St Paul had been received with 'unusual kindness'. "The Church is inviting reli- gious and civil community or- ganisations – including those led by migrants – to propose seed initiatives that celebrate Malta's diversity and promote a culture of hospitality, dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and fra- ternity," a Church spokesper- son said. "Seed initiatives are gestures that have the potential to bear much fruit as first steps to- wards more robust community building. By encouraging initi- atives where citizens and mi- grants exchange different gifts, together we become active participants in building strong communities in a spirit of fra- ternity, as 'one family'." Seed initiatives can include the exchange of cultural pat- rimony through the arts and creative expression; learn- ing about each other's traditions, beliefs, and customs; opening spac- es for respectful dia- logue; celebrating the richness of Malta as an island in the Med- iterranean with a his- tory of being a 'safe haven' for peoples from surrounding continents; Inte- gral ecology and the stories engen- dered by Mal- ta's natural l a n d s c a p e ; Initiatives in- spired by Pope Francis's teach- i n g s , especially in Laudato Sì and F r a t e l l i tutti; and sports and leisure ac- tivities and inter-generational encounters across ethnic and cultural divides. A minimum of €500 will be allocated to each seed-ini- tiative that exemplifies the fund's aims and objectives up to a maximum of €1,000. Proposals for initiatives are welcome at any time of the year and will be assessed by a board composed of representatives from the Vicariate for Evangelisa- tion, the Secretariat for Parishes, and the Mi- grants Commission. More information about the fund is avail- able at http://www.migrants. mt/fund or through email on fund@migrants.mt