Women who cause their own miscarriage

It was refreshing to watch Robert Abela’s interview with Times of Malta because, for the first time, we have a prime minister who openly acknowledges the existence of the hundreds of women in Malta who have an abortion each year, a cohort of people who has, so far, been voiceless and unrepresented.

Of concern is how the women who spoke to Abela stated how “if they suffered complications (after using abortion pills), they couldn’t go to a health clinic or hospital for fear of getting locked up”.

This fear of legal repercussions, a direct result of our archaic law, which condemns women who have abortions to up to three years in prison, keeps women from seeking timely help if they are unlucky enough to suffer complications and may leave them with permanent injuries or worse.

I, therefore, ask the prime minister to consider amending the law so that women who cause their own miscarriage are not criminalised. Even if the government is not currently willing to legalise the provision of abortion services in Malta, at least, the women who cause their own miscarriage – many of whom are already mothers with children to look after – would not be afraid of seeking help in case of complications and would not risk serious repercussions to their health.

Even Poland, the EU state with the second most restrictive abortion law after Malta, does not criminalise women for causing a miscarriage on themselves.

From the perspective of public opinion, a recent survey has shown that an absolute majority of Maltese and Gozitan people do not agree with women facing prison for having an abortion. Therefore, such a change to the law is likely to receive a more positive public reaction than some may want to us think.

CHRISTOPHER BARBARA – Naxxar

Robert Abela’s memory must be failing him

Robert Abela during his Times of Malta interview.Robert Abela during his Times of Malta interview.

When asked whether he intended appointing Lawrence Gonzi as the next president, Prime Minister Robert Abela replied: “A president needs to unite the nation. A leader of a political party can never unite a nation, just like Eddie Fenech Adami couldn’t be a uniting figure” (November 6).

I think Abela’s memory must be failing him to utter such ridiculous words. If there was a person who fought tooth and nail to unite the country after

Dom Mintoff’s turbulent years, it was Fenech Adami. He brought reconciliation among the Maltese.

It seems that Abela, during his father’s five years as president, was so immersed in enjoying life at San Anton Palace together with his young family that what had happened in Malta in the years during Mintoff’s regime must have been obliterated from his memory.

But we, the Maltese, still remember the riots at Tal-Barrani when members of the police fought and beat Nationalist supporters. We all remember Labour’s thugs breaking into the PN’s clubs. We have still vivid memories of desperate thugs breaking into the chapel at the Curia in front of the police headquarters. We remember Labour thugs forcing their way into Fenech Adami’s house at Birkirkara just a few metres away from Birkirkara police station and burning the Times of Malta building in Valletta.

Could Abela have forgotten these shameful events of his Labour predecessors? In view of all this, I am wondering how he has the cheek to say that a Nationalist Party leader couldn’t be a uniting figure.

It would be much better if Abela thinks more than twice before he speaks so as to show some maturity in his speeches.

EMILY BARBARO-SANT – Mosta

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