Save Babies, Vote No - YGTV Q&A
In the run-up to tomorrow’s referendum on abortion, YGTV met with representatives from both campaigns. Karenza Morillo from Save Babies, Vote No spoke to us about why people should vote “no” and other matters:
YGTV: In a nutshell, why should people vote “no” tomorrow?
Karenza Morillo (KM from now on): Because if we vote in this law, it will have to accepted in its entirety, and it is too extreme and it is unsafe.
It will remove all legal protection of pre-born children at any age and offers no clinical safeguards for women, or even girls under the age of consent.
The experience of other countries is that once you introduce abortion on these grounds, it's only a matter of time before numbers increase rapidly. We should welcome babies and support their mothers in Gibraltar instead.
YGTV: The campaign has seen accusations and counter-accusations of misinformation - what is Save Babies, Vote No’s view of these claims?
KM: We feel we have campaigned with honesty, integrity and respect, and are very confident that the information we have provided to the electorate is accurate.
We were particularly disappointed with the inaccurate information put out by the Chief Minister which is why we complained to the Referendum Administrator. People deserve to get accurate information on what these proposals are and how extreme they are.
YGTV: Given the conflicting information issued by both sides, is it possible that people could feel very confused about the options in this referendum?
KM: That seems to be the case, particularly in regards to the gestational limit and the circumstances in which abortion will be allowed. We recommend that people consult the Independent guide produced by Parliament. It clearly states on page 3, that, for abortions accessible under three of the grounds of the new law, there is “NO prescribed limitation of time” i.e., abortion will be legally permissible throughout the full 9 months It is important to people to know that if we vote NO on Thursday, women's lives will still be protected in pregnancy as they are already protected under the current law.
YGTV: One of your adverts says that the heart of the foetus starts beating several weeks after conception - could you explain why this is morally relevant to the debate?
KM: Yes, it's an undisputed scientific fact that the heartbeat starts around 18-21 days after conception. The initiation of a heart beat is not central to the morality of the debate, but it does demonstrate to us the fact that we are dealing with a human life - tiny and helpless - but human. Abortion stops that heart beating and ends that life.
YGTV: Your campaign has been accused of using emotional terms like “save babies” and yet you have also relied on scientific facts and statistics - do you think that the strongest case for your view is an appeal to how people feel?
KM: Thank you for acknowledging that we have relied on scientific facts and statistics. This is an extremely emotive subject, most particularly for those who have been through the abortion experience themselves; and we have heard or read very emotive testimonies from both sides of the campaign. We must however never lose sight of the essence of what it is that we are voting on, and that is the intentional ending of the most innocent and vulnerable in our human family.... the baby in the womb.
YGTV: What is your reaction to the three party leaders’ video and campaign statement in favour of Gibraltar for Yes released this weekend?
KM: I think it's shocking that the video hasn't been taken down. What the Chief Minister said is demonstrably false and the Save Babies Vote NO campaign have lodged a complaint with the Referendum Administrator. It's simply not acceptable for misinformation to be given to voters from their political leaders - no matter what side of the debate they are on.
Since his original statement, the Chief Minister has now doubled down on his position and has said that 'the new law is identical to the old law'. It's a bizarre statement to make and one that is contradicted by the materials published by 32 lawyers from 12 law firms across Gibraltar.
YGTV: Your campaign has also stressed that women need alternatives to an abortion - that there should be support services in place so that mothers don’t feel that an abortion is the only option. However, if the “no” vote wins, on the 25th of June, these services simply aren’t there yet. How will you ensure that women receive the support that they need?
KM: There is a misconception about how much help is truly out there and there is actually more than we think. There is however much work to be done and services to build on. The GPLM was set up before the Government announced their intention to change the law. We launched our ‘New Beginnings’ Campaign early on, in order to ascertain the root causes of why mothers/parents might be seeking abortions, in order to address these. We have set up the CareLink charity to support families and are liaising with statutory and non- statutory individuals and organisations, in order to improve communication between us, maximise resources and develop the services on offer. We have also produced a ‘Creating a Village’ policies document which we presented to the three political parties before the elections, with suggestions on policies which will assist families to thrive. This is just the beginning. We are all agreed that on 25th June there remains a lot of work to be done.
YGTV: If the “no” vote loses, will you continue to campaign against abortions in Gibraltar? What form will this campaign take?
KM: We will need to consider this, if and when the time comes. Our full focus at the moment is on achieving the result which is the best for Gibraltar, on the 24th.
YGTV: If women are crossing the border anyway to have abortions, why does it matter to you if these procedures take place within the GHA instead? Don’t you feel that by bringing the procedure home, there is potentially more support?
KM: Laws change behaviour, once you introduce abortion laws - especially on wide grounds such as this - the focus comes off support and instead more and more abortions happen. That is not just something our Campaign says. That is the experience of England and Wales and more recently Ireland. In Ireland before they changed their law, the exact same arguments were made by the yes side. Two years on with a 60% increase on abortion numbers (taking the numbers of women travelling into account) the effect of the law and the change on how human life is valued is clear.
The law we are voting on actually does not have any requirements for pre or post abortion care, neither does it restrict abortions to the GHA. It allows for the Minister of Health to ‘approve a class of places’ in which abortion services may be provided. In UK statistics released last week, it cites that 99% of abortions are funded by the NHS, 77% of which are carried out in the private sector. The proposed law will permit this to be the case in Gibraltar too. I do not feel that this is what is best for Gibraltar, particularly when there is no legal obligation or framework for Clinical Governance to assure good standards of service, or age parameters/ consent from parents for underage girls.
Our interview with Gibraltar for Yes appears later today.
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