Abortion is a fact of life in modern Malta

Every time someone resorts to calling me “criminal”, “murderer” and a “shredder of babies” or some such nonsense, all of which is a regular occurrence in maltese online discourse, it is an admission that they have no argument whatsoever. Rather than criticise me and the organisation I represent for wishing to allow women the choice of what happens after they become pregnant, perhaps they should reflect on the privileged position from which they state unequivocally that the introduction of abortion in Malta is an “evil step”.

Whatever your readers may believe, my colleagues and I do not “shred babies”, because: (1) the vast majority of the 400 or so abortions taking place in Malta each year are medical abortions using two safe and effective medicines, and do not involve any surgical procedures; (2) before birth we refer to a foetus; it’s only a baby after birth which is when it derives its rights. Women who are happy to be pregnant will use the same term, but those who are not, do not; (3) providing information about safe and accessible abortion methods is not against the law; and (4) although every doctor has the right to choose not to provide abortions, part of their duty to care for every woman is the requirement to refer appropriately.

The online comment boards are replete with reference to “our God being love”. I’m not sure exactly what is meant by “our God” but I am quite sure that there is only one God. It is not a Catholic God nor a Christian God, nor a Buddhist God, nor a Hindu God, it is just God. Moreover, it is a myth that abortion has always been deemed a sin by the Catholic church.

In 1588 Pope Sixtus V published his bull on abortion, abolishing the long-held distinction between the pre-and post animate foetus, and declaring that life began at conception. For the next three years, the Catholic Church considered all abortions as murder and subjected all women having an abortion, as well as whoever helped them procure one, automatically excommunicated from the church and subject to capital punishment. As well as being out of step with social mores of the day, this decision was impossible to implement and was reversed barely three years later by the next Pope. Some 281 years later (1869), Pope Pius IX proclaimed that ensouled life began at conception. This means that the Catholic church has only considered abortion to be a sin for some 150 years.

Each of us is free to ascribe value to an embryo/foetus depending on our belief about when life begins. In my view, there is certainly potential for human personhood in an embryo, but I also believe that the presence of complete DNA and a beating heart are far less important than the complete life of the woman whose body is hosting this embryo.

If Maltese society truly respects the equality of women and if we believe in personal liberty and the right to freedom of conscience, then that freedom should also extend to childbirth. It follows that the choice of whether or not to have an abortion must be that of the woman alone.

Except for those whose moral compass is based solely on religious beliefs, the only way we can determine whether a particular action is right or wrong is by examining the effect of that action on the wellbeing of sentient human persons. The value of a foetus is undoubtedly a moral question, but so the issue of whether women can be compelled to give birth. In my view, the harm in denying abortion is that it stops women from exercising their freedom over their body i.e., their bodily autonomy. Denying abortion deprives women of the future they want for themselves.

Women choose to have abortions because they value their own lives and their own future above those of their embryo. Surely each of us is capable of deciding what is best for us? If you do not want to have a surgical procedure or a transfusion, no-one can force this on you. Then why must you be forced into having a child if you decide to live your life according to your conscience?

Reproductive rights are undermined by the criminalisation of abortion which should have no place in a modern society. Criminal law does not influence one’s decision whether to have an operation or a transfusion. Why should criminal law therefore be invoked when women choose to end a pregnancy. Our bodies are always our own. Why should women’s rights over their body change when they are pregnant?

Women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant in Malta face loss of control over their lives and their future. I believe that women should be allowed to decide for themselves the extent of obligation they have for the embryo/foetus that grows within them. The most important moral freedom we have is to make choices over our lives. Every woman should have the right to decide the future of her pregnancy according to her conscience. In most of the world, women have the right to access resources and services that allow them to make the best reproductive choices in their unique circumstances. Sadly, not yet in Malta.

Forcing someone to give birth against their will by removing from that person the possibility of being true to their moral beliefs in their own lives makes no sense at all to me. I have never had an abortion myself, nor have I ever performed one, but I believe there is a strong moral case for freedom of reproductive choice and there should be nothing stopping any person from choosing to have an abortion. This is what is meant by being pro-choice.