First reactions to Malta’s abortion decriminalisation bill
Malta is one of a few countries in the world and the only EU State to completely ban the termination of pregnancy.
The Bill was presented in the House on Wednesday just after question time. Any decision on when or if the Bill will eventually be debated in parliament would have to be made by the House Business Committee.
What were the first reactions to the Bill?
Carmel Cacopardo, leader of Green Party ADPD, said this was a major step forward in Malta’s abortion debate. “To have the courage to discuss something like this is essential. As a country we have been avoiding the discussion for years. Marlene’s step forward in the House today gives this debate a new direction. Much is left to do. This is just the first step. It is necessary to lift the fear of discussing this. Only in this way we can move forward.”
By Emma Batha, Thomson Reuters Foundation
4 Min Read
LONDON, May 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Maltese lawmaker made history on Wednesday by calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in the Mediterranean island, which has one of the world’s strictest bans.
In the first such move to amend the country’s tough abortion laws, independent MP Marlene Farrugia presented a bill which would remove criminal sanctions for women who seek terminations.
“It’s a historic moment,” said Lara Dimitrijevic, a lawyer and director of the Women’s Rights Foundation which campaigns on abortion rights in Malta.
“It is not legalising abortion, but it is a very important first step.”
Women have suffered the worst consequences of the pandemic, according to MP Marlene Farrugia, who on Wednesday called on pro-lifers and pro-choicers to come tog
Updated 9.50pm
Independent MP Marlene Farrugia s bill proposing the decriminalisation of abortion has been welcomed as historic by pro-choice activists, while an anti-abortion NGO said it was shocked beyond belief .
Farrugia s private members bill is proposing the decriminalisation of abortion, a crime that carries up to three years imprisonment in Malta. The PN later said it could never back the decriminalisation of abortion.
Lara Dimitrijevic, who leads the Women’s Rights Foundation, called the tabling of the bill historic .
Over the past years the WRF has called for a debate on abortion, the lack of which had surprised former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks in 2017.
By Emma Batha
LONDON, May 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Maltese lawmaker made history on Wednesday by calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in the Mediterranean island, which has one of the world s strictest bans.
In the first such move to amend the country s tough abortion laws, independent MP Marlene Farrugia presented a bill which would remove criminal sanctions for women who seek terminations. It s a historic moment, said Lara Dimitrijevic, a lawyer and director of the Women s Rights Foundation which campaigns on abortion rights in Malta. It is not legalising abortion, but it is a very important first step.