‘Maltese women who want unbiased advice on reproduction face dire situation’

The coronavirus pandemic has created a dire situation on the island for women seeking reproductive health services.

But pro-choice doctors in Malta are leading the charge with the first ever pro-choice advisory service which, they say, will be fighting the spread of misinformation by anti-choice groups who attempt to dissuade women from seeking out the adequate services.

“As front-line pro-choice organisations, we came face to face with some of the dire situations that women in Malta experience. Unfortunately, we also came across situations where women in Malta were given wrong information or even tricked by local anti-choice pregnancy helplines,” Doctors for Choice member, and psychiatrist Christopher Barbara said.

Barbara said the restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic had limited women’s access to abortion, apart from witnessing a rise in domestic abuse cases and the temporary inaccessibility of certain types of contraception.

Doctors at work: Chris Barbara (centre) at the first pro-choice gathering. Malta’s pro-choice doctors have done much to raise the level of debate on abortion to a more, medically-based and rational discourse

“This service does not in any way absolve the State from its obligations, but at least women in Malta can now find reliable and unbiased information on sexual and reproductive healthcare and options without fear of judgement,” Barbara said of the Family Planning Advisory Service (FPAS).

The FPAS is being billed as a service that is filling a gap of advice sorely lacking in Malta. Run by volunteers who are either health or social professionals, it will also include persons who are already part of pro-choice organisations with experience in the area.

Women’s Rights Foundation (WRF) chairperson Andrea Dibben said that back in 2018 when WRF had launched its position paper on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it had commented on the lack of community-based family planning and sexual health services and made recommendations to the State to implement such measures.

“Since then, Doctors for Choice and Women’s Rights Foundation as well as the administrators of the social media group Women for Women on Facebook, have consistently received messages and calls from people asking for information and support on contraception, abortion access, and other reproductive health issues. Since there is a clear need for such a service, it made sense for us to pool our resources and set up FPAS,” Dibben said.

The FPAS will provide information, advice, and support on anything related to sexual and reproductive health, including contraception, morning-after pills, and on all pregnancy options – including abortion – “without fear of being judged or worse, reported,” Dibben said.

“We are working hand in hand with the UK charity Abortion Support Network (ASN), and referring clients to ASN if financial support is needed to access abortion abroad. We are also collaborating with a network of local pro-choice professionals including gynaecologists, family doctors, clinical and counselling psychologists, and psychotherapists who we can refer callers to as needed.”

The service also provides help to access contraception for those with financial difficulties and hopes to expand in the future, depending on the needs identified by women. “Our helpline is free of charge and we have volunteers who speak multiple languages.

“We thought that we would not get any requests for the first few weeks until we kick off with advertising campaigns and media coverage; however, in the first two days we have already had a good number of people use the service,” Dibben said.

The service has already received several messages of support and several requests from people to volunteer. “The general feedback we got from the public was that such a service was much needed in Malta.”

Misinformation and intimidation

On his part, Barbara said that misinformation against abortion services and related reproductive health choices is also rife.

“Unfortunately, it is not an exaggeration to say that women in Malta who need unbiased and reliable information on reproductive healthcare face a dire situation,” Barbara said, adding that often people seeking an abortion cannot speak to their family or to their regular doctor out of fear that they may be snubbed.

“And when they try to search for information online they are tricked by anti-choice groups that pretend to give ‘advice’ but actually dish out misinformation to suit their anti-abortion and anti-contraception agenda. This is not right, and women in Malta deserve better than this.”

Likewise, Dibben said that women in these dire situations, need advice and support on sexual and reproductive health issues in order to make a properly informed decision. “We just wanted to give women the option to have a pro-choice advisory service. Our response to groups who spread misinformation about us is to be consistent in providing a quality service based on the latest scientific and medical evidence with kindness and compassion,” she said.

Barbara said the FPAS service was created to be a catalyst for change. “We wanted to give women a truly unbiased and compassionate pro-choice advisory service that will support them in whatever decision they make. Word travels fast in Malta and we know that FPAS will have an impact, not just by directly helping women, but also by eliminating the stigma that surrounds abortion and contraception once and for all,” he said.

Persons can access the Family Planning Advisory Service (FPAS) via phone 2778 2758, chat or email at [email protected]. For more information visit www.fpasmalta.info