Together Gibraltar have launched the campaign #LETSGIVETHEMAMANDATE in order to petition for a consultative referendum on Gibraltar’s abortion laws.

A campaign video and an online petition were launched last week, and Together Gibraltar activists will be gathering signatures by the Piazza every Monday throughout the summer.

A spokesperson said: “The group’s official stance on the abortion issue is PRO-CHOICE, however, within the group there are multiple interpretations of where the limits to choice should lie. For this, and for the fact that the issue is a delicate and emotive one, we believe a consultative referendum would empower politicians to bring progressive change in a way that is mandated and socially acceptable by the majority of this community.

“The current legislation states that an abortion will be punished by life imprisonment, whereas the actual harming of a born child would carry a much less severe sentence. We cannot continue to have laws that portray Gibraltar in this light. We have to move with the times and open our legislation to changes and progress. In any case, whether on one side or the other of this debate, it is hard to dispute that a consultative referendum on this issue would be a useful tool.”

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