“Countless lives and livelihoods are ended, disrupted, and lost because of lack of access to safe abortion. This must stop,” the petition reads.

The highest number of signatures unsurprisingly came from France (198,313 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 (184,577 votes) and Italy (159,562 votes).

Malta has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world and this petition proves that the public opinion tides are changing. Along with these signatures, the Maltese pro-choice movement has been rapidly on the rise with annual pro-choice marches with a recent theatre production, Blanket Ban, making its successful Malta-debut at Spazju Kreattiv. 

In addition to this, 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.

Nonetheless, both of Malta’s main political parties – the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party – remain staunchly against decriminalisation. Politicians from both sides largely avoid joining the conversation since the topic is known to be contentious, with former PL MEP Cyrus Engerer confirming a widespread fear of “political suicide”.

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