A Maltese bishop urged countries to resist a mentality that accepts abortion, to fight and abolish it as was done with slavery.

“We must actively work in favour of life,” Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea Curmi said in a mass today in honour of ‘victims of abortion’.

“We hope and pray that there will be a time when, similar to when society realised and actively worked against slavery, that the same will be done to protect life.”

Galea Curmi also rubbished the idea that being in favour of abortion could be progressive.

“On the contrary, those who end human life are not progressive but regressive, because society only advances when the most vulnerable are protected.”

He said the Church cries for those who took the decision to get abortions and prayed for mothers in difficulty to find help and understand the consequences of this. 

Malta remains one of six countries in the world that has a blanket ban on abortion.

At least 58 women in Malta terminated their pregnancies in the UK last year, but this figure doesn’t paint the full picture, with countless others seeking abortions in other European countries or purchasing pills from the internet.

As a taboo issue in Malta, abortion emerged as a unique problem during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the virus hit the island, an organisation of pro-choice doctors in Malta warned of the implications of a coronavirus travel ban in a country that already imposes strict anti-abortion laws.

In fact, UK-based charity Abortion Support Network flagged a surge in calls from Maltese women seeking help during the months when no commercial flights were in operation.

Meanwhile, a new pro-choice group composed of healthcare professionals was established today. They pledged to campaign for better healthcare standards for women and for their reproductive rights, which includes better sex education and safe abortion practices, to be upheld.

Do you agree with the bishop’s comments?