Abortion still holds a significant grip on voters behaviours in Malta, with figures from a new survey revealing 58% of respondents would not vote for a pro-choice political party.

However, it does seem that times are changing, with one in five respondents in a new Misco survey saying they would vote for a political party that introduces abortion in Malta.

Out of those who refuse to vote for an anti-abortion party, a third would rather vote for a different political party that doesn’t propose the introduction of abortion in Malta.

The impact of abortion also spills into candidate choice. More than half (53%) of respondents said that they would prefer to vote for candidates who are against the introduction of abortion in Malta.

In contrast, 19% stated they would prefer to vote for candidates who are in favour of abortion, and for 28% it does not make any difference.

This could indicate that while Malta is still majorly against abortion, the pro-choice camp is growing steadily.

In December, a historic bill was passed through parliament which seeks to decriminalise terminating a pregnancy if a mother’s health is at severe risk. However, the bill still has to get passed its last reading to become rectified as law, and Prime Minister Robert Abela has hinted the details may be tweaked.

Even if the bill passes, Malta will still have some of the strictest abortion laws on the planet.

The majority of survey respondents believe that this proposed law will effectively introduce abortion in Malta.

More than a quarter (28%) agree with the law as is, and one in five even said they would vote for a party that introduces it.

While abortion in Malta is illegal in all circumstances, the blanket ban does not stop people in Malta from seeking them with an estimated 300 to 400 women in Malta seeking them every year.