A common reason that pro-life supporters used to justify their mentality was the idea that abortion equates to murder.

“Abortion is killing a human being,” said a woman in her 30s.

“No one should have a right to terminate another human being’s life,” said a woman in her 20s.

“Might as well decriminalise homicide too then,” said a man in his 30s.

“I believe the embryo is alive and it is murder to terminate it,” said a man in his 50s.

This reasoning is a common area of disagreement between the two sides, with one claiming that a foetus is a person with potential and the other explaining that it is just a potential person.

When subscribing to the former mentality, many argue that abortion is the killing of a human being because they believe that life starts at conception. However, those with the opposite opinion focus on the life of the mother or parent and the potential child once it is born.

They maintain that a foetus is not yet alive for numerous reasons including it still being a dependent entity that hasn’t yet developed crucial bodily functions that will keep them alive.

Therefore, terminating a pregnancy is a choice for those who are already alive to ensure a better quality of life for everyone involved, including the child once it is born.

2. Parents should accept the consequences of their actions

The idea that parents should bear the responsibility for having unprotected sex was a common response for many who believed that abortion should remain a crime. They essentially believe that the foetus shouldn’t pay the price for the parents’ mistakes.

“In case of an unwanted pregnancy abortion should remain illegal – we need to face the consequences of our decisions,” a 30-year-old man said.

“For every action, there is a consequence. Don’t sleep around if you are not ready to take precautions. Simple,” said a man in his 50s.

“Everyone has the means to practice safe sex so if you are reckless then you have to face the consequences,” a man in his 20s expressed.

“My body my choice is a BS mantra to justify abortion. The choice was made the moment you engaged in unprotected sex. Every choice comes with consequences and people should learn to live with their choices,” explained a man in his 40s.

While it is important for people to understand that actions do have consequences. It fails to look at the wider issue.

Consensual unprotected sex without the intention to have a child isn’t the only reason for the need for abortion – rape, threats to health and life, contraception failure, and severe disabilities are other important reasons.

However, even if it were, a child should never be looked at and treated as a consequence or a burden. If people are forced to have children against their will and without the proper financial or mental means to do so, the child will suffer more often than not.

3. There are other alternatives to abortion

Others argued that abortion can be prevented beforehand with contraception and/or abstinence, or avoided afterwards through adoption.

“Read both sides of the arguments and deep down in one’s heart you know what is right and wrong. An unwanted pregnancy can be avoided by proper contraception beforehand, the child is innocent,” said a man in his 60s.

“Abortion is legal where the mother’s life is in danger. There are other ways not to get pregnant, including contraception and abstinence,” a man in his 20s said.

“If you’re not ready for it, don’t have sex. In cases of rape, take the morning after pill or give up for adoption should you not want to keep the child,” said another man in his 20s.

“While there are some very precarious situations, the destruction of a potential human life needs to remain only a last resort. We need to think beyond abortion. Is it really a sign of female empowerment? Or is it a need arising from the fact that we live in a society that does not allow women to be really in control of their choices, of whether they engage in sexual activity in which their wishes are taken into consideration?

“What we really need to invest in is education to empower our women to have more control on their sexual decisions and men to respect them, together with the better availability of contraception first, reducing the need for the termination of pregnancy to a minimum as has occurred in Switzerland and Finland amongst others,” said a man in his 40s who was unsure about whether or not abortion should be decriminalised.

“If the mother is not medically at risk, she can give birth to the child and put it up for adoption,” said a boy in his teens

This line of argumentation is understandable but it often disregards the numerous flaws in the fostering and adoption system that leaves several children without families.

In fact, according to the Malta Independent, only 27 Maltese children were adopted in the last decade.

The argument also takes contraception accessibility and awareness for granted, when they are two things that many people lack.

So, maybe instead of completely turning our noses away from the reality of things, we should consider increasing and improving sexual health education to ensure that people are aware of contraceptive methods.

Subsidising or making these methods free will also be of optimal help for those who cannot afford contraception (and thus, a child) but still want to enjoy the pleasures of sex – the same pleasures that everyone else is entitled to.

4. Abortion harms women

This justification asserts that women are negatively affected by having abortions, and according to some respondents, the procedure mainly impacts the mental health of abortion receivers.

“Abortion intentionally ends a human life and harms women,” a woman in her 30s aptly said.

“Both my friends had long term mental health problems from guilt after receiving abortions,” said a respondent in her 40s.

“Seeing the mental devastation and the regret that a person who had an abortion is going through, it made me more than sure that abortion is damaging to the mother’s mental health,” a man in his 50s recounted.

“I know someone who had an abortion and it helped me realise that abortion is harmful to women as well. I have seen post-abortion regret and this strengthened my position,” said a respondent in their 20s.

While abortion can definitely lead to feelings of guilt in some patients, it can still be the best decision for the family and people involved. Such emotions are also very dependent on the person experiencing the procedure, there are many women who will have their mental and physical health adversely affected by having a child that they do not want.

Meanwhile, there are many accounts of women who are relieved to have chosen to terminate their pregnancies.

For more information on scientific studies of the effects of abortion on women, click here.

5. Religion

Malta is a highly religious country with 93.5% of the population still believing in God. The country has even ranked as the fifth most religious country in the Europe.

Therefore, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise when people explain that their pro-life views are determined or at least swayed by the Christian dogma. 

According to our survey, 13.3% of pro-life respondents said that their opinion was at least partly determined by religion.

“Religion and science inform my opinion. I cannot accept the murder of an unborn human being,” said a respondent in her 70s. 

“Abortion is a mortal sin, ‘thou shall not murder,'” said a man in his 20s.

“I’m pro-life because of religion and the belief in sanctity of life, but also evolutionary biology and a sense of not wanting to cull my species, I guess,” a man in his late 20s explained.

“Abortion is against our religion. Introducing abortion is like removing the law for killing,” said a respondent in his 40s.

“Religion forms the basis of my opinion, but research and informational knowledge support it,” said another participant.

“My position on abortion is determined by religion up to a certain point. In fact, I am in favour of contraceptives, which is not according to catholic teaching.”

All-in-all, abortion is an extremely heated topic in Malta right now, despite the procedure being declared a human right in the European Union – of which Malta is a member state.

Nonetheless, it is important to listen to both sides of the argument in order to understand reasons and motivations, along with identify and debunk misinformation that can sway the opinion of the public.

Are you pro-life?