Watch: Cyrus Engerer Helped Two Women In Malta Get Abortions
MEP Cyrus Engerer personally helped two women in Malta access abortions, one needed it because her health was at risk while the other had just exited an abusive relationship, and he spoke to Lovin Malta to share the details.
Engerer explained that as the only Maltese politician who has openly voted in favour of including abortion as healthcare and as a fundamental right, he’s received quite a few pleas for help.
While abortion-related appeals have been increasing for Engerer in the last two or three years, many members of the LBTIQ+ community used to contact him. They would reach out due to things like coming out to their families, or because they’d need gender affirmation surgeries or hormone therapies. He’d even be contacted by children whose parents would impose conversion practices on them.
Moreover, Engerer would often get the individuals in contact with organisations like Doctors for Choice and Women’s Rights Foundation, but he remembers two specific cases where he helped a couple and a woman access the healthcare.
Moreover, Engerer was contacted by a couple who were overjoyed about their pregnancy but unfortunately needed to terminate it.
“This happened right after the Andrea Prudente case, this woman was going through the exact same thing,” he explained.
Engerer then got in contact with the Women’s Rights Foundation and together they raised funds for the couple to go to the Netherlands and have their health procedure there.
“They really wanted a family and I’m so happy to see that they now have a child.”
Meanwhile, the second case involves a woman who had just left an abusive relationship.
“She was all bruised from being beaten,” Engerer described.
The woman realised she was pregnant and she mentally couldn’t handle having a child.
“So, once again, thanks to Lara Dimitrijevic and Isabel Stabile, as well as other women from different organisations, we helped that woman get pills from abroad through an online site and unfortunately she had to go through that whole procedure alone in her home.”
Lovin Malta attended 48 hours of intensive protests, panel discussions, and screenings in Brussels organised by the Women’s Rights Foundation, Moviment Graffitti, MGRM, and Engerer.
During these days of activities, it was repeated by politicians and activists alike that a ban on abortion will not stop it, it will just make it more unsafe.
Engerer even told the newsroom that there are Maltese Members of Parliament, both from the Nationalist and Labour parties who are secretly in favour of making abortion accessible in Malta.
Featured image: David Mallia.
If you ever had an abortion and want to share your story either with your name or anonymously, reach out to [email protected].
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