Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/737583
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2016 YANNICK PACE ONLY one female member of par- liament, out of nine, supports the over-the-counter sale of the morn- ing after pill, an exercise carried out by MaltaToday has revealed. Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli was the only MP to confirm with MaltaToday that she was in favour of making the emergency contraceptive pill available over the counter, arguing that pharmacists were qualified enough to advise cli- ents on the pill's use and side effects. "We are not talking about selling it from any other shop but from a pharmacy, which is run by profes- sionals who are legally obliged to give advice," Dalli said. A joint committee of the social af- fairs, health and family parliamen- tary committees has recommended to parliament that the morning-af- ter pill should require a doctor's pre- scription when sold to women. It also decided that the Malta Medi- cines Authority should only issue a licence if studies confirm that a particular brand of the emergency contraception does not breach the Embryo Protection Act. Dalli said that she has to respect the decision taken by the joint com- mittee, "but one hopes that things can change". Parliamentary secretary for lands Deborah Schembri said she agreed with a doctor's prescription: "Any drug that has the potential to cause harm to the user should only be ad- ministered after a doctor's recom- mendation." No reply from parliamentary sec- retary for the elderly Justyne Caruana was forthcoming at the time of writing. On their part, PN MPs Marthese Portelli, Kristy Debono, Paula Mifsud Bonnici and Clau- dette Buttigieg provided near- identical statements, saying they supported the recommendation of the joint committee. Both Mifsud Bonnici and Buttigieg formed part of the joint committee. Democratic Party founder and in- d e - pend- ent MP Marlene Far- rugia argued that contraception should be made available to the public for free as long as it could be guaranteed that it is not an aborti- facient. "Since the joint committee could not conclude that this was the case with the morning-after pill, I cannot support its introduction," she told MaltaToday. Independent MP Giovanna Debono was unavailable for com- ment. PN MEP Roberta Metsola – who last June told MaltaToday that the PN would be discussing the Wo- mens' Rights Foundation's judicial protest internally – and Labour MEP Miriam Dalli, have come out against the committee's recommen- dation, arguing that the morning- after pill should be widely available. A discussion on the morning-after pill was ignited after the Women's Rights Foundation filed a judicial protest last June, demanding that the licensing, importation and dis- tribution of the MAP be made legal. A number of civil rights activists and NGOs have criticised the rec- ommendation, pointing out that the nature of emergency contraception requires it to be administered as quickly as possibly, with the success rate of the drug becoming smaller with each passing hour. An online petition addressed to MPs, which has garnered over 1,300 signatures, states that the commit- tee's recommendations "are deeply detrimental to the well-being of women in our society, and disre- gard all respect for female bodily autonomy". A protest by Gender Equality Malta will be held on Sunday urging MPs to rethink their position. Emergency contraceptive pills can be divided into different categories depending on which active ingredi- ent is contained within them. There are two main types, namely those containing ulipristal acetate and those containing levonogestrel. In correspondence sent to the committee, Medicines Authority chairman Professor Anthony Ser- racino Inglott recommended that "physicians be urged to use Lev- onorgestrel as first line." In November 2014, the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Com- mittee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommend- ed a change in classification status from prescription to non-prescrip- tion for ulipristal acetate emergency contraception pills with vast major- ity of EU member states adopting the recommendation. As of this year, emergency contra- ception is available, over the counter in all EU countries with the excep- tion of Hungary, where it still re- quires a prescription. News ETHICAL FUND APS REGULAR INCOME *Annualised Returns as at 29/07/2016 since inception, 06/06/2012 O ering Income & Capital Growth Potential 2122 6644 invest@apsfunds.com.mt apsfunds.com.mt Annualised Returns* 7.20% Financially smart, and ethical at heart. Talk to us about the APS Regular Income Ethical Fund today. Investments should be based on the full details of the APS Funds SICAV p.l.c. Prospectus and the APS Regular Income Ethical Fund Supplement which may be obtained from APS Bank Limited and any of its branches. Past performance over a particular period will not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be expected in future periods. The value of the participating shares and the income derived from them can go down as well as up and the investor may not receive on redemption of their shares the amount that they invested. APS Bank Limited is licensed to provide investment services by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). APS Funds SICAV p.l.c. and APS Income Fund are licensed by the MFSA. Issued by APS Funds SICAV p.l.c. APS Centre, Tower Street, Birkirkara BKR4012, Malta Tel. (+356) 2122 6644. Women MPs against over-the-counter sale of morning-after pill Labour minister Helena Dalli only MP against sale by prescription