Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1172208
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 SEPTEMBER 2019 INTERVIEW only when the mother is on the very brink of death. If the wom- an did reach that critical stage at Mater Dei – as she very well might have, had she remained a patient there – then yes, the doctors would have eventually been able to intervene. But not before. Now: if I were a patient in those circumstances, and had been just been told that my pregnancy was unviable anyway… I wouldn't want to risk it. I wouldn't want to have to wait until infection sets in, or until I was at the point of death, for doctors to try and save my life. So, what this case also shows us, is the urgency for a legal reform to allow for interventions much sooner in such cases. And this is what we – and also Doctors for Choice, among others – have been ar- guing from day one. At the launch of Voices for Choice, for instance, we held a panel discussion. One of the speak- ers was a gynaecologist, and he was asked specifically if there were cases where the 'double effect' principle does not apply. He said there was one specific instance – i.e., where the mem- brane gets ruptured: which is exactly what happened in this case – where it doesn't work. In such cases, he said, a team of consultants would be called in to decide when, or to what extent, to intervene. And the decision very much depends on whoever leads this team of con- sultants: some take a very di- rect approach, others are more conservative, etc. But when asked how often this happens, he replied: 'Oh, not very often. It's quite rare. We have around three or four cases a year'… [Pause] For me, that's not 'very rare' at all. Not in a country the size of Malta, anyway… What that also suggests is that there must be other cases where women's lives are put at risk by unviable pregnancies… but we don't know about them, because they don't speak up, and neither do doctors… [Nodding] At this point, I am questioning everything. I'm not saying 'there have been deaths'… but I don't know for sure. There are, after all, mater- nal deaths in Malta… are they properly investigated, to deter- mine whether the death could have been prevented through emergency abortion? Because what we have also found out through this case is that, un- less the family knows exactly what's going on, and are ready to speak up about it… nobody else is going to. We would nev- er know. So this, for me, is a big question mark right now… Coming back to Saturday's rally: as you said, it's the first of its kind, in a country where the stigma associated with abortion is still quite strong. Realistically, how many people are you expecting to show up? On the Facebook event page, there are around 180 marked as 'going', and some 418 marked 'interested'. But we shall have to wait and see. I think that there is an element of fear that may hold people back… Because of the counter-rally, you mean? Yes. We've been receiving messages and comments ask- ing whether it would be 'safe' to attend… warnings to 'be careful'… or 'not to take chil- dren'… and on the other side of the coin, we have also seen and received intimidating mes- sages and comments. This is part of what the whole rally is about: we cannot have a civil discussion on the issue, in an atmosphere of fear and intimi- dation… Do you consider the counter- rally itself to be a form of intimidation? Let me put it this way: I can't be sure of their motivations. I don't know if they planned it to be an act of intimidation. But personally, I do not in- terpret it that way myself. To be honest, I expected there to be a counter-march: there was one even with the LGB- TiQ pride march last week… and this [abortion] is the most controversial issue there is. So obviously, there was going to be a reaction. And they have a right to voice their opinion, just like we do. I do, however, think it was unwise for them to organise their march on the same day, at the same place and time. But the authorities granted them a permit, ac- cording to an article I read in the papers yesterday… Well, it would difficult to justify granting a permit to one group, but not the other… But usually, precautions are taken to avoid possible con- frontations. In fact, according to the same article, there were 'conditions' attached to the permit. I haven't seen these conditions yet, but I imagine they will be along the lines that, 'you keep to your space, they keep to theirs'. Another thing to bear in mind is that this coun- ter-rally is not organised by the 'official' pro-life organisations: like Life Network Malta, or the Gift of Life Foundation. Those organise their one annual rally, around December… but we haven't seen any statements or comments from their end. The counter-rally is basically being organised by Ivan Grech Mint- off, and the Facebook group, 'Abortion, Not In My Name'… and… let's face it, the last rally he organised attracted just 30 people. For this one, the Face- book event page so far has just three people marked 'going', and around 11 'interested'… But that is surely not a reflection of the actual lie of the land. People might not flock to a rally organised by Ivan Grech Mintoff… but it doesn't mean they've changed their opinion about abortion… No, and in fact that is another reason why numbers are not necessarily against us in this equation. If our rally is attend- ed by 50 people, and they get 5,000… we would still be more successful. Because in a coun- try that Is 95% pro-life, the 50 who attended the pro-choice rally are proportionally more than those 5,000 who attended the pro-life rally. And besides: how long have pro-life organi- sations been holding rallies, in a country that already has a total ban on abortion? Over a decade, at least. Our rally, on the other hand, is the first of its kind. We are making history here… One other interpretation for the counter-rally is, in fact, as a measure of the pro-choice movement's success so far. Clearly, the pro-life majority is feeling threatened… and there are indications – a University student survey here, a small pro-choice protest in Valletta there – that attitudes towards this topic really are changing. Do you get that impression, too? Has there really been a groundswell shift in popular opinion? I do get that impression, yes; but it is not easy to be sure. Social media, for instance, is not a reliable indicator. It cre- ates echo-chambers that can be deceptive. So instead, I try and look at what is happening all around me. Tonight [Thurs- day], for instance, there's 'Sci- ence in the City': a major na- tional event, that has been happening for some time. Doc- tors For Choice have a stand. They will be distributing infor- mation. And at the same event, the University Law Students' Association is organising a de- bate on abortion. So that's two initiatives, at a national event with which we had nothing to do whatsoever, from our end. That is something in itself: there is a local discussion hap- pening, and it's not just com- ing from us. That is also what I meant earlier, when I said that 'we are here, and we are not go- ing away'. are not going away' PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES BIANCHI