Throughout its history, Pulse has always been at the forefront of social and civil rights and liberties and has championed successfully a progressive social agenda in all the institutions present.
In the past few years Pulse has taken courageous yet important decisions which have continuously put the organisation on the right side of history.
- Embarking on a pro-divorce campaign in 2011.
- Calling for a recognition of homosexuals couples in 2012.
- Openly in favour of civil unions, LGBT rights and against conversion gay right therapy.
- The first student organisation to support the lowering of the age of consent.
- The only political student organisation to debate the age of consent in Parliament.
- Proposing a holistic sexual health education.
- Lobbying successfully for the introduction of a condom machine at the University of Malta.
- Proposing a change in the blood donation lifetime ban for gay men.
In these last few weeks Pulse has been following closely the issue regarding the morning after pill. Needless to say it would have been irresponsible to issue a position without referring to research and experts. However it would have been equally irresponsible to wait and issue a position based on the student body or the general population popular opinion – reflecting also a principle and value crisis.
Pulse welcomes with great optimism the comments of Professor Anthony Serracino Inglott (Chairman of the Medicine Authority), who declared that the morning-after pill is not abortive. While it prevents ovulation or fertilisation, it does not stop implantation. He also added that pills with the same active ingredients as the morning-after pill are already available on the market. Therefore it is clear that there is nothing precluding the morning-after pill from being available in Malta.
Indeed, the World Health Organisation agrees that emergency contraception is effective only in the first few days following intercourse, before the ovum is released from the ovary and before the sperm fertilizes the ovum. Emergency contraception cannot therefore interrupt an established pregnancy or harm a developing embryo. Pulse also applauds Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli, who declared that she has no problem with this contraceptive being available on the Maltese market, thus taking a positive stand in favour of women’s reproductive health rights.
Furthermore, it has been internatonally established that unfettered access to contraception greatly decreases the rate of teenage pregnancies and abortion. In light of these facts, Pulse gladly joins the movement towards legal access to the morning-after pill in Malta.
Besides access to contraceptives, Pulse once again believes that the key to a healthy society is a comprehensive sexual education. Such education should cover an array of important issues such as body image, contraception, gender, and safe sex and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, amongst others, delivered through medically accurate facts. The goals of comprehensive sexual education are to help individuals gain a positive view of sexuality and to provide them with developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills so that they can make healthy decisions about their sex lives now and in the future.
Pulse therefore looks forward to being part of the discussion within the civil society on future progress and improvements on reproductive health rights in Malta.