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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 OCTOBER 2023
NEWS
SEATED DINNER MUSIC CONCERT & DANCE EXTRAVAGANZA
FOR BOOKINGS & TICKET INFORMATION CONTACT
MARGARET BRINCAT AT
EMAIL: margaret@dynamiceventsmalta.com
www.dynamiceventsmalta.com
cord.
"We've made huge leaps in
LGBTIQ rights, and Malta just
showed off its civil rights re-
cord in the largest pride week
it has ever seen, EuroPride, yet
reproductive care is still years
behind," she said.
"LGBTIQ rights and the right
to reproductive healthcare, in-
cluding abortion, have one com-
mon foundation; bodily autono-
my. This is a fundamental right,"
she said.
Lawyer Carla camilleri, the as-
sistant director of Aditus Foun-
dation, a human rights organi-
sation, told activists they were
also pro-life – the term used to
describe those against abortion.
"We are pro-life. Pro-woman,
pro-the person who is pregnant.
We are in favour of protecting
the life of people whose preg-
nancies put their mental and
physical health at risk, without
the need to go through lengthy
and risky hurdles imposed by
our criminal laws," she said.
She said current legislation
criminalising abortion was dis-
criminatory. "We are in favour
of equality: where asylum seek-
ers and undocumented mi-
grants, who are prohibited from
travelling, would have access to
abortion in the same way that
we know a significant number of
more affluent women do when
they travel overseas to procure
one."
It is estimated that annually
around 300 women residing in
Malta have an abortion, either
overseas or through pills. How-
ever, the number could be high-
er since the criminal nature of
abortion makes it uncomforta-
ble and risky for women to talk
about their ordeal.
rally in Valletta
