A Second Women’s Rights Group Has Called For Abortion Legalisation In Malta
The Network of Young Women Leaders are the second Maltese women’s rights group to come out in favour of legalising abortion in Malta. In a public statement, the group has said that we cannot “ignore the voices of our members and women who have undergone the procedure.”
“Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights have, for far too long, taken a back seat and it is encouraging to see the Women’s Rights Foundation (WRF) bring such a stigmatic subject to the table,” the NYML said.
Alongside the endorsement, the NYML shared a story of one woman’s struggle.
“One women left this on our desk,” the group said. “We remember how emotional we felt and how nervous we were when we came to decide if we should have it published. Ultimately, we decided not to let even one single story of struggle go unheard or underestimated. It is with this same sentiment that we share this today.”
Martina Caruana, one of the NYML founders, spoke to Lovin Malta about their endorsement of the Women’s Rights Foundation recommendation.
“I, Martina Caruana, would not resort to abortion as I am not pro-abortion. With that being said, I do acknowledge that I was not impregnated by my abuser, I was never a victim of incest, I do not suffer from depression or any other mental ailment that would be further strained with pregnancy, I do not suffer from any physical impairments that would make pregnancy and/or labour life-threatening, and hence I can never decide for such women whether or not they should carry on their pregnancy,” she said.
She lamented the fact that people with no experience with abortion were publicly criticising having the choice to access to it.
“It’s really easy to say you’re 100% against abortion when you’ll never have to make that decision. You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and access to legal and safe abortion,” she said.
The group agreed with the four circumstances when abortion should be an option mentioned by the Women’s Rights Foundation.
“Abortion in the four circumstances should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare. That is what proper sex education is all about,” the group said.
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