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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 NOVEMBER 2022 On abortion, some sense at last Editorial OF late, there has been a noticeable change of tone in how the topic of abortion is discussed in the Mal- tese political arena. For instance: when Malta was still vying to become a member of the European Union, then-Opposition leader Alfred Sant had used abortion as a 'scare-tac- tic' against membership. This led Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami to seek written guarantees from the European Commission, to the effect that Malta would not be 'forced to legalise abortion' (as Sant had earlier predicted.) Ironically, it was the same tactic the Nationalist Party had traditionally always used against Labour, over the years: and – even more successfully – small- er parties like Alternattiva Demokratika. And like all those other occasions, it illustrates a fundamental problem with how this discussion has always unfold- ed. It's not so much that Maltese politicians do not want to discuss the issue of abortion; it's that – un- til recently, at least – they only ever did so for their own, self-serving partisan interests. As a result, there has never been any political commitment to revisit Malta's archaic abortion laws (indeed, they have never been amended in more than 200 years); still less, was there ever any political in- terest in actually addressing the very real problems that people find themselves facing, as a result of these same laws. Nonetheless, there is evidence that such attitudes are finally beginning to change. In a recent interview with The Times, Prime Minister Robert Abela struck a refreshingly different note on the subject. Asked about the latest amendments to Malta's abortion laws, tabled in Parliament last week, Abela explained that: "When [the Andrea Prudente] case happened this summer, Malta was in the interna- tional media for the wrong reasons. Following that case, we discovered there's a long-standing practice at Mater Dei that goes back decades. In cases where the mother's life is at risk, clinicians decide among themselves to terminate. But there are questions about the legality. So, we discussed with our health department and they presented a legal amendment to be discussed at cabinet level." The amendment will therefore state that: "when there are medical complications during a pregnancy and the mother's life is at risk, doctors can terminate a pregnancy to safeguard the mother's life without the risk of legal prosecution. Of course, the mother will also be protected from prosecution." This already marks a dramatic change from the previous political discourse: arguably, it is the first time a Maltese prime minister was heard actually discussing abortion for the issue it really is – with all its associated problems, and dilemmas – rather than simply using the word as a weapon, with which to bludgeon his political adversaries. But Abela went further than that: "These past months I've met tens of women who aborted using a tablet. Conservatively, around 300 or 350 women abort this way every year. The number could reach 400. This happens in our country, everyone knows it happens but it's easier to look away. And all these women told me the same thing: that they had been stigmatised and that none of them had found any sort of support […] How can I close my eyes to this?" It is here, perhaps, that the biggest change can be felt. For if politicians like Robert Abela are sudden- ly aware of the existence of these women, it is only because of the recent emergence of a number of civil society action groups, which have effectively dragged the entire issue out into the hideous light. Women for Women, in particular, gave a much-needed voice to the plight of the many thou- sands of Maltese women who were – and still are – afraid to speak out openly, for fear of criminal reper- cussions. It did this quite literally, too: by opening up its online discussion panels, for women to share their experiences in public. What emerged was eye-opening, for many reasons. Apart from exposing the sheer number of women caught up in such situations, it also marked the first time (with perhaps one or two exceptions) where the national discussion was not dominated by a chorus of mostly male, and overwhelmingly pro-life voices: to the exclusion of virtually all other viewpoints. Much the same could be said for Doctors For Choice: except that this NGO focuses more specifi- cally on the challenges faced by Malta's medical pro- fession on account of the same abortion ban. In itself, this represents a game-changing dynamic to the entire debate: which, in turn, explains why Abela also felt the need to add: "This is a sensitive issue that shouldn't be monopolised by politicians. It should be broader society that leads this discussion." It is, after all, very easy to dismiss the entire issue as a 'taboo' topic – or to drown out the entire con- versation, with inflammatory cries of 'Abortion is Murder!', etc. - when your audience consists only of likeminded individuals, who are all singing from the same hymnbook. It becomes a lot harder to ignore the realities on the ground, however, when confronted directly by the people who are affected by them; and who, in this case, are demanding that the country's political forces come up with long-overdue solutions to their problems. 13 November 2012 Top ministers and MPs put their weight behind Tonio Fenech FINANCE minister Tonio Fenech optimistic that he can beat rival candidate MEP Simon Busuttil for the post of PN deputy leader. Finance minister Tonio Fenech is optimistic that he can beat Nationalist MEP Simon Busut- til for the post of deputy leader, with the full backing of top government ministers and MPs. In four meetings held until now for council- lors, the Birkirkara MP received open testimo- nials from ministers, MPs and other candidates. The meetings so far have been held for 1st and 8th district, the 2nd and 3rd district and 4th and 5th district. The testimonials are an indication of how Busuttil's candidature appear to have led Cab- inet ministers – except for health minister Joe Cassar – to rally behind the nomination of one of their own, if Fenech comes with some political baggage that could easily attract heavy criticism from Labour. Backing for Busuttil started off with insist- ence from former PN secretary-general Joe Saliba, who has returned to assist the party for the forthcoming elections, with the Prime Min- ister that Simon Busuttil would be the perfect candidate to ensure a victory for the PN in the next election. But after Tonio Fenech's candidature, the Prime Minister has been careful not to take a stand in favour of any candidate. The decision by Tonio Fenech to contest has galvanised party councillors and roped in the support of heavyweight minister Austin Gatt, but crucially also support from other potential leadership rivals like Mario de Marco, Chris Said and Beppe Fenech Adami. Fenech Adami's testimonial is indeed signifi- cant with the subtle signifier of a blessing from former PN leader Eddie Fenech Adami himself. On the other hand Busuttil now suddenly faces a gargantuan task, with The Times's own alliance to De Marco, one of the directors of the newspaper's trust, careful not to offer the MEP too much open support. Even his rapprochement with Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has been counterproductive, his conciliatory gestures be- ing manipulated by critics as a softening of the PN's decision to ban the MPs from contesting on the party ticket. Quote of the Week "A discussion on euthanasia is a prelude to a decision that must be taken, it will not just be a discussion that goes nowhere." Prime Minister Robert Abela speaking on TVM, referred to the Labour Party's electoral pledge during the last election, which promises a debate on euthanasia MaltaToday 10 years ago