Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/952911
TIA RELJIC FORMER Government whip Godfrey Farrugia was in favour of a Bill that would allow MPs to earn an early pension, former La- bour MP Lino DeBono has claimed. DeBono, who is also the sec- retary for former members of parliament, confirmed that Farrugia was Government whip when the Bill was tabled in Parliament and claimed that he was in favour of it. "I am astonished on how he has come out against the Bill as I remember him being fully in favour of it," DeBono told this news- paper. TIA RELJIC WOMEN in Malta should have access, through the public health system, to safe and legal abortion under at least four circumstances, activists from the Women's Rights Foundation said. Seven recommendations pertaining to a national action plan for sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education, contraception, and abortion, were outlined in a po- sition paper launched by the Founda- tion. A survey by MaltaToday last month found that 95% of respondents did not agree with unrestricted abortion in the first 12 weeks, and 97% said they did not accept abortion at any stage of pregnancy. The position paper suggests that all women in Malta be provided with ac- cess to safe and legal abortion through the public health system and licensed private providers at least in the follow- ing circumstances: when it is neces- sary to save a woman's life or to pre- serve a woman's physical and mental health, in cases of rape or incest and in cases of fatal foetal impairment. ANALYSIS PAGES 10-11 Newspaper post maltatoday today today SUNDAY • 11 MARCH 2018 • ISSUE 957 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT INTERVIEW Remembering Charles Miceli Josanne Cassar and Saviour Balzan COMMENT 19-27 • Call triggers fierce backlash from conservative MPs • Lobby claims national abortion survey results are flawed MALTATODAY CONCERNS SURVEY in cases of fatal foetal PAGE 3 this news- PAGE 2 Talking about mental health with Richmond Foundation CEO Stephania Dimech Sant PAGES 14-15 JAMES DEBONO'S ANALYSIS PAGES 16-17 'FOREIGNERS living in Malta' is not- ed as the third highest concern with 9.9%, reflecting the new reality that has taken root over the past five years and which appears to be causing un- ease among the Maltese and Gozitans. This is the result of an MT survey held in the last week of February which re- confirms traffic at 20.1%, down from 34.7% last October as the primary concern and corruption at 10.4%, up from 7.3% as the second biggest con- cern. This was also the first MaltaToday survey that polled people's concerns after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in October. However, interestingly another 5.6% identified 'illegal immigration' as a con- cern. If these are added up to those who considered 'foreigners living in Malta' as a concern, the collective figure for con- cerns involving foreigners hits 15.5%, putting it second behind traffic. Nationalist Party leader Adrian De- lia is currently pitching migration and foreigners as his political platform. On Xtra this week he mentioned criminality and migrants as a primary concern. In this survey concern over criminality is not recorded as a con- cern. It has to be seen whether Delia's strategy to focus on foreigners emu- lating the battle cry of the far right in Europe will lead to any dividends considering the large gap that exists between the two party leaders. Concern about 'foreigners' and 'migrants' surfaces in latest poll 20.1% Traffic Corruption Foreigners Construction Environment -14.6% +3.1% +9% +7.8% +0.7% 10.4% 9.9% 8.8% 7% Top concerns and how they compare with the last survey in October 2017 €1.95 PD rails against pension reform Bill tabled by Godfrey Farrugia as Labour whip PD MP Godfrey Farrugia Andrea Dibben (right) and Lara Dimitrijevic of the Women's Rights Foundation present their position paper Women's group moots right to restricted abortion