In around July 2022, the EP voted in favour of the addition of abortion to the EU Charter of Fundamental Human Rights. He was the only Maltese MEP to vote in favour of this action and he made national headlines, garnering a mixed reaction from readers.

Engerer received insults, attacks, and death threats for his choice of voting in favour of the resolution and was subsequently scared to come back to Malta. But alas he did and on the first day, he had a meeting with Minister for National Heritage Owen Bonnici in Valletta.

Engerer asked his assistant for them not to pass through Republic Street so they set a meeting point at the corner of Zachary Street and planned to pass through the side streets.

As Engerer was “hiding” in a corner of the street, waiting for his assistant, he saw a woman in her early 40s on the phone quickly hang up as she saw who he was.

“Are you Cyrus?” she asked after running up to the politician.

“Yes,” Engerer responded.

The woman started crying and told Engerer about her story of her abortion.

“Finally, someone is speaking on my behalf,” she said.

That encounter gave Engerer the courage to walk through Republic Street where he was even more surprised to see another three or four women thank him and his team for the vote.

“There’s a silent number of people in our country that feel that they cannot speak. So I will speak on behalf of them.”

Engerer told this story to Lovin Malta on Thursday during a pro-choice rally in front of the Maltese embassy in Brussels.

However, he first said it during a panel discussion the day before which included other foreign MEPs and Maltese activists, many others of which sat quietly and listened.

 

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Engerer recounted this story when one of the activists on the panel admitted to being exhausted.

Pro-choice activists have been rallying in Malta for years, speaking out and up for women and persons who can get pregnant to be given their right to bodily autonomy. But rather than taking any steps forward, the Maltese government recently took a step back, making it harder for a woman whose life is at risk due to a pregnancy to undergo an abortion.

This was a huge blow to the pro-choice movement in Malta.

Engerer shared this story as a means to show that there is always hope. He was one of the many panelists who urged the 80 activists in attendance during these 48 hours of campaigning for rights to remain hopeful and keep going, while also using the community as a shoulder to cry on when times get tough.

The discussion was a sobering yet beautiful testament to the strength of the pro-choice movement in Malta that keeps standing tall despite attempts to knock it down.   

Like local politicians, many members of civil society are afraid to speak up. Family, school, and work pressure hold them back from supporting the movement and even sharing their stories.

Yet, the pro-choice community continues to grow whether we can always see it or not, and so, hope should too.

If you’re a silent supporter and want to share your experiences or point of view, reach out to [email protected]

This action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament’s grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.

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