Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/736806
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2016 8 News TIM DIACONO AN online petition has been set up to urge MPs to rethink their pro- posal of this week for the morn- ing-after pill to be dispensed only against a doctor's prescription. The petition, set up by Jelena Bezzina, lambasts the proposal as "deeply detrimental to the well-be- ing of women" and one that "disre- gards all respect for female bodily autonomy". "We believe that not only do these recommendations go against the very core of gender equality, by removing a woman's right to take the best decision for her wellbeing, but that this decision is also rooted not in a general regard for a wom- an's health but a need to control the bodies and lives of women". MPs sitting on the social affairs, health and family committees an- nounced on Wednesday that they will recommend to the House that the pill can only be dispensed against a doctor's prescription. However, Bezzina's petition notes that women must make use of emergency contraception im- mediately after intercourse and that forcing them to obtain a pre- scription amounts to an extra and unnecessary hurdle. "Furthermore, this is detrimental to the empowerment of Maltese women – who will not be trusted to take the decision themselves, like their European and interna- tional counterparts. We urge you to trust us with our own wellbe- ing and recognize that women are aware of the negative consequenc- es of frequent use of all medica- tion, not only the emergency con- traceptive pill." The petition also warned that the proposal will allow doctors "who may feel that they have a right to judge the sexual lives of women based on their own moral convic- tions" to abuse their power. "It is not up to you as parliamen- tarians, or doctors, or neighbours to judge the decisions of others when it comes to these affairs. This was the premise of the debate on LGBT rights, so we demand that it is also so during this debate on women's rights." Moreover, it said that the par- liamentary committee's decision does not take into consideration the needs of victims of sexual as- sault, who often do not approach authorities about their assault un- til they are ready. "Without immediate access to emergency contraceptives, women who are still under the shock of sexual assault, especially in cases where the abuser is known to the victim, may end up losing the time-window in which the medi- cation can be utilized. We urge you to be on these women's side. "We urge you to rethink and see reason, and take a decision that is based on the best interest of this great country and its citizens. We urge you to take a strong stand in favour of human rights, of bodily autonomy, of empowerment and of respect for the strong, inde- pendent women in our societies wanting to take control of their lives, ready to contribute to our economies, democracies, civil so- cieties and our schools. A vote in favour of these recommendations means a vote against women and we urge you not to allow this de- bate to be hijacked by the irration- ality of lobby groups who would prefer to have women burdened with an unwanted pregnancy with all the repercussions that go with it." Earlier, the Malta Confederation of Women's Organisations also insisted that the morning-after pill should be available for purchase over the counter. "We feel that women in Malta have the right to a wide choice of emergency contraception and that this should be widely available over the counter in order to allow women to have more control over their lives, their health and their body," MCWO chairperson Lor- raine Spiteri said in a statement. The Women's Rights Founda- tion warned that insisting that emergency contraception is to be made available by prescription only will open a "dangerous can of worms". "What was the point in recom- mending that emergency contra- ception is licensed as 'prescription only' if not to exert undue po- litical pressure on the Medicines Authority to act as puppets on a string rather than as an inde- pendent authority?" it asked. "If Parliament wants to decide on how medicines are licensed and dispensed, it should abolish the relevant authorities and undertake the job itself. "Considering that some MPs found it difficult to discern be- tween hard scientific evidence from 'evidence' by what could only be termed dogma-driven snake oil salesmen, this possibility leaves us terrified." 'It is not up to you as parliamentarians, or doctors, or neighbours to judge the decisions of others' MPs urged to change tack over morning-after pill