Living in a country with one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world, the topic is often the elephant in the room on this sunny island.

As a journalist, I’ve reported countless abortion debates, which ultimately transform into ugly shouting matches, and attended demonstrations from both camps. One moment I’m reporting speeches on the need to decriminalise abortion, then, on the flip side, speeches on how life starts in the womb.

Time and again, I’ve seen politicians tiptoeing around the taboo topic, yet what the public and I rarely hear are the voices of the women who find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place: women, daughters, mothers, wives who face the tough decision of having an abortion and carrying that decision in silence and shame.

That is why I was curious and eager to watch Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella’s production Blanket Ban. The critically acclaimed play received raving reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and, three years later, finally arrived on Maltese soil.

Following three years of interviews with women who anonymously recounted their own abortion experiences, the actors give a voice to those who have remained silent for so long. For some women, it would be the first time ever that they would speak about their abortion.

Last weekend, on Women’s Day (unintentionally yet fittingly) I walked up the stairs of Spazju Kreattiv not quite sure what to expect. As we waited for the theatre doors to open, a security guard asked me to prepare my bag to be searched.

The highlights of the performance were in the moments when the actors spoke directly to the audience. Photo: Elisa von Brockdorff

 “We just want to be safe, you know, seeing how sensitive the topic is,” she told me.

It was a harsh reminder, even before we sat in our seats, of how, in 2025, abortion is still a difficult topic to understand.

From the beginning, the duo broke the fourth wall and interacted with the audience, who felt the fear, isolation and anger of the real voices and experiences the actors brought to life on stage.

For such a heavy and sensitive topic, I found myself laughing more than I expected. Vella and Hamilton have good chemistry and banter, kicking off the production full of high energy as they went through all the things that make Malta, their home, a heaven on earth.

The glowing sun, crystal blue sea, the long, endless summer days by the beach as you dig into mouthwatering and crisp ħobż biż-żejt (with kunserva, of course) are all mentioned, yet it’s not long before the duo shift to a darker tone.

The duo rope in the audience on how the original idea for Blanket Ban began and the creative process they endured.

They told the experience of Mary who was ultimately failed by the system and was never provided a proper sex education. Another story recounted how a woman had to carry her very-much-wanted pregnancy to term, despite the baby no longer being viable.

At points, the actors quoted the women word-for-word as they unravelled the silent suffering these women have experienced.

The staging, by set designer Isabella Van Braeckel, was simple yet effective, giving all the attention to the actors.

Despite being a two-woman show, the actors played various roles and women, and the audience could feel the weight of responsibility Hamilton and Vella carried as they brought to life these women’s stories.

And that is what makes the performance so heartbreaking – knowing that these are not fictional or made-up events, but the lives of real women

And that is what makes the performance so heartbreaking – knowing that these are not fictional or made-up events, but the lives of real women.

While their opinions on the topic are clear, at times the duo disagreed on how they saw their home island, occasionally even arguing that “it’s not as bad” as we portray it. It was those moments that also hit me hard, as loving one’s country is not simple, but a sense of pride can also be replaced with anger.

Sitting in the audience reminded me how alive theatre is, as Blanket Ban’s script has evolved since 2022, including the Andrea Prudente case, which eventually led to the passing of Bill 28 allowing abortion in Malta only if a woman’s life is at risk.

The highlights of the performance were in the moments when the actors spoke directly to the audience. Hamilton’s strong monologue immediately captured the audience’s attention, as the theatre could hear a pin drop in the stiffening silence as she criticised the island’s lack of action when it comes to protecting women’s reproductive rights.

“If we weren’t angry, women wouldn’t be able to vote, queer people would still be persecuted and we still wouldn’t have divorce, which we just got five minutes ago by the way.”

The duo kicked off the production by going through all the things that make Malta, their home, a heaven on earth. Photo: Jake Gialanzè

Vella’s monologue about the struggles Maltese women have faced for years and their resilience, interspersed with her anger as the country continues to make women suffer, was also painfully beautiful.

While the audience was fully captivated by the actors’ storytelling, the way the duo bounced from one story to another was, at times, too rapid. Jumping from the different women’s narratives to a tale about Vella’s grandmother’s role in World War II to the duo’s creative process instilled a sense that a lot was happening at once. Until the audience settled into the fast pace of the play, it was overwhelming to catch up and absorb what had just happened in that scene.

Following the standing ovation, I left the theatre with a mix of emotions. As a journalist, a woman and an individual, I know the situation is never clear-cut; rather, it is messy and every individual leads a different path.

I felt a sense of frustration with my country, which is so advanced and boasts about its civil rights, yet so many women feel helpless and shamed.

The fact that particular scenes and comments still echo in my mind days later is a sign that the duo have delivered a thought-provoking and beautiful show.

Blanket Ban is not about changing people’s opinions, but about taking a step back and listening, with full compassion and kindness, to these women’s stories.

“We’ve been working on this story for five years,” Vella told me after the performance.

“I hope we will not be performing it in the next five,” she said.

I share her thoughts half-heartedly, as I wish Blanket Ban would have more additional performances, to open the discussion on abortion once more, and as a reminder of the efforts to fight for reproductive rights.

Blanket Ban’s final performance is taking place today. It is part of the Spazju Kreattiv Programme 2024/2025, produced by Chalk Line Theatre and directed by Vikesh Godhwani and Sam Edmunds, and supported by Arts Council Malta.