Over 85% Of The Way There: Malta Only Needs 612 Signatures To Hit Quota Of Historic EU-Wide Abortion Petition
Malta needs just 612 signatures to hit the national quota on a historic EU-wide pro-choice petition that’s calling for the EU to fund member states with unrestrictive abortion laws.
Malta has hit an incredible 3,618 signatures in favour of this petition, making the country 85.53% of the way there. The petition as a whole doesn’t necessarily need Malta’s full quota to be considered because it surpassed its own bracket. However, having citizens from the island with the strictest abortion laws in Europe sign this petition sends a strong message to both the European Commission and to Malta’s government.
My Voice, My Choice launched the petition in a bid to make abortion in the European Union more widely accessible.
It has so far reached 1.2 million signatures through which the organisation will ask the European Commission to submit a proposal for financial support to member states that would be able to perform safe termination of pregnancies for anyone in Europe who still lacks access to safe and legal abortion.
The petition will officially close today.
The highest number of signatures unsurprisingly came from France (199,487 votes) which became the first country to inscribe the right to abortion in the country’s constitution last year. This was closely followed by Germany (186,568 votes) and Italy (155,034 votes).
In 2019, Malta held its first pro-choice protest and since then the strength and growth of the movement has been on the rise. From having women’s organisations who would never utter the word abortion, to activists sitting in the streets of the capital city to have honest discussions – the public opinion tides are changing.
These signatures are another testament to the public will and desire for eased reproductive laws – ones which would allow women to not have to be dying to access an abortion. In fact, Lovin Malta revealed that the island imported 590 abortion pills in 2024 – 90 more than the previous year, proving that the need for accessibility is very much alive.
So, if you’re pro-choice and believe women should access abortions no matter where they come from, sign this petition and make a statement.
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