Advertising conversion therapy to get harsher penalties

Jan 12 2023

Conversion therapy is already illegal in Malta according to the 2016 Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Bill.

However, the government is now proposing a new amendment to the Conversion Therapy legislation so that the promotion or advertising of such practice results in harsher therapies.

Conversion therapy is any treatment, practice or sustained effort which attempts to change, repress or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.

The bill, which includes penalties and jail time for anyone who performs or refers a person to such therapy, will see amendments that will target the advertising of the law.

This concerns any publishing, advertising, displaying, distributing, linking to or circulating any content which promotes or entices people to undergo conversion therapy.

Speaking during a press conference, Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg explained how it does not make sense to have illegal practices advertised.

#MaltaDaily

Could this be the planet our descendants move to?

Jan 12 2023

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has continued to push the scientific enterprise as it locked a view on a planet that could be our far descendent’s new home.

LHS 475 b is almost exactly the same size as our home planet Earth, cocking in at 99% of Earth’s diameter. With rocky dry land similar to Earth, NASA scientists need to first ensure what sort atmosphere the planet has.

Despite not being able to conclude what the atmosphere is just yet, the scientists were able to determine that it is not made up of thick methane as is found on Saturn’s moon, Titan.

The James Webb research team, led by Kevin Stevenson and Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, is eager to discover more about the new intriguing planet.

But just how far away is it? Well, according to estimates, the planet sits 41 light years away, which would translate to 387,889,961,902.12 kilometres away – try to comprehend that distance for a second…

The planet is also a few hundred degrees warmer than Earth and completes an orbit in 48 hours. Of course, any form of extraterrestrial inhabitation by us Homo sapiens is still far off into the future. And it is further complicated by the dilemma which scientists wrestle with when investigating new worlds – that being, whether our intrusion on them would kill any chance of a new form of life evolving there.

#MaltaDaily

49.6 million people used Malta’s Public Transport in 2022

Jan 12 2023

Malta Public Transport carried 49.6 million passengers in 2022, which is an increase of 40% when compared to 2021.

In December 2022, the number of passengers travelling by bus surpassed pre-pandemic numbers for the first time.

“We are pleased to reach this significant milestone by surpassing our record numbers of 2019 for the first time in December,” said Konrad Pulé, General Manager of Malta Public Transport.

“The constant growth in numbers over the past few months is very encouraging and is a clear sign that the confidence and demand for public transport is once again increasing.”

It was revealed that since the launch of the free public transport initiative in October, there were almost 50% more tallinja card passengers when compared to the same period in 2021.

This is an 8% increase over 2019, a record year. This means that the free public transport initiative is succeeding in incentivising even more people to make use of public transport.

New Year’s Eve saw twice the amount of people on its night services when compared to 2019. Night services are included in the free public transport scheme for all tallinja card holders.

For the future, Malta Public Transport will be investing in an additional 25 new electric buses which will be put in service in the coming weeks to increase the frequencies of the bus services.

#MaltaDaily

Doctors for choice deny threats to Prudente’s care doctors

Jan 12 2023

Malta’s Doctors for Choice have claimed that they never dictated what the medical management for Andrea Prudente should be.

The group replied to a statement by Doctors for Life wherein it was stated that Professor Isabel Stabile went ‘one step further than advocacy when she had the audacity to attempt to influence the management of the caring consultancy by allegedly contacting him personally and pressuring him with the words – ‘You know what to do’.

Doctors for Choice replied saying that whereas they acknowledge contacting the caring consultant during Andrea Prudente’s admission after her partner sought help directly from them, ‘at no point did we dictate what her medical management should be.’

‘Neither did we threaten or intimidate any of her caring doctors in any way. It is important to note that the mention of one of our members in court did not come from the caring consultant, but from a third party who elected to make assumptions about the contents and context of a call which he was not a part of’ the statement continued.

The pro-choice group said that it is lamentable that Doctors for Life chose to use this to target members and that this suggests a lack of professional integrity. It ‘constitutes an attack on patients’ right to seek a second opinion and make arrangements for care in alternative settings if they so wish.’

#MaltaDaily