Campaign documents the stories of 40 women who had an abortion

The Dear Decision Makers campaign has compiled a document that tells the story of 40 women who have had an abortion and were subsequently affected by Malta’s total ban on abortion.  

The document, compiled by Laura Paris and Emily Galea in collaboration with Break The Taboo Malta, is targeted towards politicians and tells heart-wrenching and unfiltered stories of real women.

“They are not statistics, or “one in a million” cases. They are not “murderers” or “immoral”. They are real people. They have names. They are human beings in their own right, who, regardless of their relation to others, deserve access to healthcare," the campaign said. 

Almost half reported having an unsupportive or uninvolved partner 

15% of women who needed access to abortion services were already mothers. 

Furthermore, 7% of the stories submitted were teen pregnancies, of which more than half resulted from their first sexual encounter. 

13% of the stories involved sexual violence, including rape, and 35% reported having an unsupportive or uninvolved partner, of which 38% were reported to have an abusive partner. 

28% of women also reported that the blanket ban on abortion had severely impacted their mental health, with nearly half, 47% of women reporting to have had pregnancy-related suicidal thoughts.

Real-life experiences in their own words

"I chose to have an abortion because I had a one-night stand with a chef that I had worked with for two years. I was one month pregnant when I found out and when I approached him to explain what happened, he refused to help me in any way, even just to acknowledge the baby only on paper. He bluntly told me, 'Sorry, you have to be a single mother, because I cannot help you, I have no money'. I also did not want to put the burden on my parents since I was at university at the time, so I decided to opt for an abortion," a 41-year-old from Qormi wrote.

"I became pregnant at 23. The man I was dating did not bother to tell me there had been an accident with the condom until after I told him I was pregnant. What else was I supposed to have done to avoid this? Even if he had been a decent human being and told me, the morning after pill was not even available in Malta at the time. Though I wasn’t in favour of abortion back then, I knew I would be bringing a child into an unstable environment," a 24-year-old from Mellieha also wrote. 

'I had to run away from home to have an abortion'

A 17-year-old wrote that in 2005, she had to run away from home and go to the airport at 5am to catch a flight so that she could get an abortion abroad, alone.  

"I’ve never wanted to be a mother, especially at 17, and my pregnancy happened as a result of failed contraception. I just wanted to be a normal teenager, finish school and go to university. Before going abroad, I tried so many at home 'methods'. I was extremely depressed and ready to jump in front of moving traffic just to dislodge it from my uterus, or at least end it all," the person wrote. 

"I finally managed to get the money together, and I booked an appointment abroad without telling anyone. I was 17 and going through this completely alone in a foreign country because I couldn’t find the help I needed in my own country or from my own family. I have never regretted my decision, in all these years."

Malta's total ban

Malta is one of a handful of countries in the world that has a complete ban on abortion. The law criminalises the woman and the doctor performing the abortion. It is also the only EU country with a total ban on the procedure.

The campaign will in the coming weeks present the documented stories to politicians and decision-makers.

Earlier this year, independent MP Marlene Farrugia introduced a private members' motion in parliament to decriminalise abortion in what was a historic move. However, the motion is likely not to be debated since placing it on parliament's agenda depends on the two major political parties both of which have been reluctant to tackle the issue.

The Nationalist Party is steadfast against abortion, having enshrined in its statute that life starts from conception, while the Labour Party has been more ameniable to having a discussion on the matter although it has refrained from proposing any legislative changes.

READ ALSO: Marlene Farrugia presents abortion decriminalisation bill in historic first