Cami Appelgren (right) at a recent PD meeting

Partit Demokratiku MEP candidate Cami Appelgren has pledged not to campaign for the legalisation of abortion in Malta after people called her out for pro-choice comments she had made in the past.

“Let me be clear, my position is that it should never be imposed on Malta from Brussels or anywhere else abroad, which some seem to think,” Appelgren told Lovin Malta. “I’ll ensure nothing is forced on Malta on this topic.”

In a Facebook discussion on abortion last year, Appelgren had said she believes everyone should be given a choice and noted the trauma a pregnancy can cause to rape victims. However, she pledged not to discuss abortion throughout her MEP campaign.

“Abortion is not part of the MEP platform nor my own campaign. I got pregnant when I was very young, had a choice and my son is here today. That should explain my personal view.”

“I believe that women (and men) should get the outmost help to prevent any issues before, during and after child birth. I think more can be done in Malta when it comes to prevent unwanted pregnancies which is a good first to support women. After birth we could indeed give mothers and fathers better opportunities. That is my stand. I am all in for preventing issues to arise. Tackle the root causes, rather than curing only and that goes for everything in our society.”

Cami Appelgren (second from left) at a clean-up

Appelgren hails from Sweden, where abortion is fully legalised, and she acknowledges the cultural differences between her home country and Malta, where abortion remains an incredibly taboo topic of political discussion.

Indeed, the PD’s own leader Godfrey Farrugia has gone so far as to call for a referendum to repeal a new IVF law on the grounds that embryo freezing objectifies human life and therefore paves the way for the legalisation of abortion.

“Abortion is a very complex issue and isn’t black on white but it won’t me up to me to campaign for or against it,” she said. “Big issues like that are normally decided through referenda and, as I’m not a Maltese citizen, I won’t be eligible to vote.”

Appelgren is renowned locally for her environmental activism, in particular her regular clean-ups around the island, and the need for environmental sustainability is expected to be the main plank of her MEP election campaign.

“It has became clear to me that as long as the policies and legislation being made aren’t working in the long-term and best interests of the people, then the work of activists is only getting harder and our effort won’t keep having the effect it could have,” she said when launching her campaign earlier this month. “Malta can prove to Europe that change is possible to save our planet, and Malta can lead the way as the very best.”

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]