Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546858
AUTHOR and activist Lara Calleja has called for disabled people to be included more in the abortion debate, saying disability is often used in argu- ments against abortion. "Not in my name", Calleja told MaltaToday, objecting to the use of disabled people as an ar- gument against abortion. She said people sought abor- tions for many different rea- sons and emphasised that disa- bled people needed to be part of that discussion themselves. She said disability was often raised in arguments against abortion, including when dis- cussing a foetus with a disa- bility. Her objection was to disabled people being used to support those arguments without their own views being heard. Her comments followed a Facebook exchange beneath a MaltaToday interview with pro-choice doctor Joanna De- lia. The Voice for Choice Coali- tion condemned comments it said linked Calleja's physical impairment to her support for abortion decriminalisation. But Calleja said the pro-choice movement also needed greater inclusion. She described it as a movement that continued to evolve, rather than blaming it for gaps in representation. That representation, she said, needed to give disabled people space to express their own po- litical views. Their involvement should extend beyond being asked to speak about disability itself. Her call also went beyond abortion. Calleja said that in general there needed to be greater representation of disa- bled people in boarder political discussions. Calleja also said she did not identify with the term disabil- ity, while acknowledging that she fell within that category. Turning to the Facebook ex- change, Calleja said the central issue was a judgement about her based on her appearance. She described personal insults on Facebook as common and criticised the lack of accounta- bility. In a written response to David Vella, she said he had associat- ed her with infanticide on the basis of how she looked, using the words "one look at her". Vella denied referring to par- ticular physical characteristics. In a separate comment, he said he had been targeting what he described as her "woke" activist appearance. He acknowledged describ- ing her as psychologically and spiritually broken and said he held that view of all pro-choice supporters because of their de- fence of abortion. Calleja, however, said the is- sue remained the association he had made between her appear- ance and infanticide, regardless of whether the comment con- cerned disability. She also challenged his basis for judging her psychological state, saying the discussion had shifted away from the original point towards labels about her identity and beliefs. Calleja told MaltaToday she would have accepted an apol- ogy but said the exchange had instead continued with insults against people who defended her. She said those who found the comment offensive included people who were neither her friends nor pro-choice. Her post was public, she pointed out, rejecting the suggestion that objections came only from her usual circle. The Voice for Choice Coali- tion said the attacks reflected wider prejudice surrounding disability, sexuality and repro- ductive rights. "A woman's impairment is not a counterargument to her views. Using it to discredit her is ableist and sexist," the coali- tion said. It said disabled people were sexual beings, partners and parents with the same rights to autonomy, dignity and bodily integrity. The coalition pledged to support Calleja if she chose to pursue legal action and said disabled people must be includ- ed in the campaign for repro- ductive rights. It also pledged to continue demanding safe, accessible and legal abortion, alongside com- prehensive sexual and repro- ductive healthcare free from stigma and discrimination. 8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 30 SEPTEMBER 2026 NEWS ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE - CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 26CU046877C Superior Court of California, County of San Diego Petition of: Wei Xia & Fei He on behalf of Karen H Xia, a minor for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Wei Xia & Fei He on behalf of Karen H Xia, a minor filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: KAREN H XIA to KARINA H XIA. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: 10/19/2026 Time: 08:30 AM., Dept.: 61, The address of the court is 330 West Broadway, San Diego 92101 (o appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) A copy of this Order to Show Cause must be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county in which petitioner resides or, if no county, in the local subdivision or territory where petitioner resides. Malta Today Date: 8/28/2026 Michael S. Groch. Judge of the Superior Court. Don't use disability to slam abortion, activist Lara Calleja tells pro-lifers 'Not in my name': Lara Calleja challenges use of disability in arguments against abortion JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Activist Lara Calleja The original conversation that took place in the comment section of MaltaToday's Facebook page