Malta’s Incandescent Abortion Issue Given Spotlight On Popular German Media Portal Share: A hot debate in Malta has made it to the international stage, but it’s not for the best reasons. The islands’ taboo issue of abortion was a subject point on Der Spiegel, one of the most-read news portals in Germany. The article, entitled “Activists against draconian laws in Malta”, divulges the realities faced by women dealing with the strictest abortion law in the EU, and how the pandemic worsened their situation. “Catholicism is the state religion in Malta and it defines life on the island: sex is a taboo subject and something to be had in marriage. There is only limited sex education in school. The topic of abortion is ignored in medical school,” a translation of the text reads.