Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1174220
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 OCTOBER 2019 ANALYSIS MALTA'S PRO-CHOICE RALLY Abortion: taboo broken? (Or is pro-choice movement another IT was only in March that a pro-choice lobby was formed in Malta, and seven months on, a crowd of some 100 people truly 'broke the taboo' by attending Malta's first ever pro-choice rally, held last Saturday. Surveys in Malta still show an overwhelming and stable ma- jority against the legal availa- bility of abortion in all circum- stances, except very marginally in cases where the mother's life in danger. Both major parties remain against its introduction. After taking the bold step to bring out the debate on abor- tion and reproductive rights truly in the open and mar- shalled by a feminist lobby, the major risk facing the pro- choice movement is that of be- coming another self-referential bubble that is galvanised by international sympathy but en- gaged in an entertaining, albeit sterile sideshow with Malta's loony right. Despite this inherent risk, here are five achievements made by the nascent pro-choice movements in what remains an uphill struggle. 1. No longer afraid to speak up in public Up until a few years ago any- one favouring a liberalisation of abortion laws was depicted as a baby-killer. For a long time, nobody spoke about the issue except for fringe personalities or eccentrics like Emy Bezzina, who hosted foreigners with a mission like Dutch medic Re- becca Gomperts. Even liberals recognised the subject as be- ing a no-go area, reacting only when faced with an attempt to entrench the ban on abortion in the Constitution piloted by former deputy prime minister Tonio Borg in 2006. The prevailing argument among liberals was that there was very little point in push- ing an issue which triggered an overwhelming rejection, especially in a context when more winnable battles like di- vorce and gay rights were being fought. Liberals found them- selves making the argument that divorce and gay rights have nothing to do with abor- tion. This has clearly changed. Galvanised by the secularisa- tion of social mores in the past decade, liberals are more con- fident in tackling the abortion issue. Surely pro-choice views are still shunned by the over- whelming majority of people, but activists are no longer os- tracised for expressing their views. The sheer formation of a pro-choice movement with identifiable and respectable faces has served as an encour- agement for others to commit themselves. But the movement still miss- es one key element vital for its success: women who have actually passed through the experience of an abortion are still reluctant to take the stage. During last Saturday's rally per- sonal testimonies from women who had been denied abortions had to be narrated by activists. One Maltese woman whose story was read out,said she was refused a termination despite having a non-viable pregnancy. "They forced me to become a walking grave," she said. "Look me in the eye and call me self- ish… People like you do not want to hear our voices." Yet such stories can only be effective in changing opinions when told by those who had a first-hand experience. Still, the first hurdle, that of being able to speak out about this issue in public and congregate with like minded people, has been sur- passed. 2. They have brought the ultra-conservatives out of the woodwork The experience in other countries, as well as Malta's own divorce referendum expe- rience, has shown that debates on moral issues tend to bring the most conservative ele- ments out of the woodwork,to the detriment of the causes they champion. So it was no surprise that the formation of a pro-choice movement has provoked a strong and expected reaction among ultra-conservative and right-wing groups who have now upstaged the Catholic church in spearheading the campaign against abortion. The organisation of a coun- ter-rally last Saturday attracted the usual suspects – former X Factor contestant and gay conversion witness Matthew Grech, the conservative activist Ivan Grech Mintoff, evangelical pastor Gordon John Manché, and the right-wing Catholics from the Pro Malta Christiana grouping, which over the past two years have led rosary rallies on the eve of gay pride march- es. The rally was also addressed by Catholic priest Fr David Muscat, a Mosta cleric who JAMES DEBONO DEBONO MEP candidate Mina Tolu (right) was first within the Green Party to call for a sane debate on abortion. But their stance prompted the resignation of party stalwart Arnold Cassola Academic Andrea Dibben (right) took centre-stage as she convened Malta's first pro-choice rally, together with lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic