Malta is the only EU country with a total ban on abortion. This means
that people who need abortions must buy (safe but in Malta illegal)
abortion pills online and risk being criminalised, or travel outside of
Malta. Or, as people sometimes do, resort to harmful ways to manage
their pregnancies.
Abortion is a social justice issue. Having to
travel abroad for healthcare is inhumane and discriminates against
individuals who are unable to do so. It requires a certain level of
privilege, as people who are poor, those with mobility issues, women in
abusive relationships, and migrants face additional obstacles.
Despite
what many would like us to believe, abortion is something that happens
in Malta. We know that hundreds of Maltese residents access abortions
each year. People who need abortions come from all backgrounds and all
walks of life, ages, faiths, sexual orientations, and gender identities.
Girls, women, non-binary individuals, and trans men can all need and
have abortions. People with disabilities have abortions. Catholic women
have abortions, in the same way that others of different religions or of
no faith do. Women who are opposed to abortion or who say they never
thought they would have an abortion themselves also have abortions. In
fact, we all know and love people who have had abortions.
While
it is not only women who need abortions, we can also understand that
access to abortion is a feminist issue, and the ban on abortion is
female oppression. It is for this reason that we must resort to
protesting for the right to choose. No government, state, judge,
religious institution, man or person should tell a woman what to do with
her body. Malta’s criminalisation of abortion, the stigma, the lack of
proper information and support, as well as the hateful comments in the
public sphere are hurtful and harmful.
If we truly care about
people’s health, life, and wellbeing, abortion MUST be decriminalised.
Abortion is healthcare. It is an essential service. It is high time that
we are no longer criminalised for doing what is best for ourselves –
our bodies, our health, our families, our lives. What other medical care
are people criminalised for? Abortions should be legal, accessible,
local, and free. No one should be forced to remain pregnant against
their will. If we want to live in a just society, we need to ensure that
we can all choose if, when, and with whom to have children.
Malta hija l-uniku pajjiż fl-UE fejn l-abort mhux permess fl-ebda ċirkustanza. Dan ifisser li dawk li jkollhom bżonn abort iridu jixtru pilloli tal-abort online (li ma jagħmlux ħsara imma huma illegali) u għalhekk għandhom ir-riskju li jinqabdu, jew inkella jridu jivjaġġaw barra minn Malta. Jew, bħal ma hemm min jagħmel, idur għal miżuri perikolużi biex jippruvaw itemmu t-tqala tagħhom.
L-abort huwa kwistjoni ta’ ġustizzja soċjali. Li persuna trid tivjaġġa barra mill-pajjiż biex taċċessa l-kura huwa kiefer u diskriminatorju kontra dawk li ma jistgħux jagħmlu dan. Hemm element ta’ privileġġ, għax persuni fqar, dawk li għandhom problemi ta’ mobbiltà, nisa li qegħdin f’relazzjonijiet abbużivi, u immigranti għandhom ostakli ikbar.
Minkejja dak li jriduna nemmnu ħafna nies, l-abort xorta qiegħed isir f’Malta. Nafu li mijiet ta’ residenti Maltin jagħmlu abort kull sena. Dawk li jeħtieġu l-abort ġejjin minn kull qasam tal-ħajja, huma ta’ kull età, fidi, orjentazzjoni sesswali u identità tal-ġeneru. Tfajliet, nisa, persuni non-binary, u irġiel trans kollha jistgħu jiġu bżonn u jagħmlu l-abort. Persuni b’diżabilità jagħmlu abort. Nisa Kattoliċi jagħmlu abort, bħal dawk li ġejjin minn reliġjonijiet oħrajn jew dawk li m’għandhomx fidi. Nisa li ma jaqblux mal-abort jew li jgħidu li qatt ma ħasbu li xi darba kienu se jagħmlu abort, ukoll jagħmlu abort. Fil-fatt, kollha kemm aħna nafu jew inħobbu lil xiħadd li ġieli għamel abort.
Filwaqt li mhux in-nisa biss jistgħu jiġu bżonn l-abort, nistgħu nifhmu wkoll li l-aċċess għall-abort huwa kwistjoni femminista u l-projbizzjoni totali tal-abort hija forma ta’ oppressjoni fuq in-nisa. Huwa għalhekk li jkollna nipprotestaw biex ikollna d-dritt tal-għażla. L-ebda gvern, stat, imħallef, istituzzjoni reliġjuża, l-ebda raġel jew persuna oħra m’għandhom id-dritt li jiddettaw lill-mara x’għandha tagħmel b’ġisimha. Il-kriminalizzazzjoni tal-abort f’Malta, l-istigma, in-nuqqas ta’ informazzjoni u ta’ strutturi ta’ sapport, kif ukoll il-kummenti mimlija mibgħeda fl-isfera pubblika iweġġgħu u jagħmlu ħafna ħsara.
Jekk verament jimpurtana mis-saħħa tan-nies, mill-ħajja u l-benesseri tagħhom, ma jistax ikun li l-abort jibqa’ kriminalizzat. L-abort huwa servizz essenzjali tas-saħħa. Wasal iż-żmien li ma nibqgħux nitqiesu ta’ kriminali għax nagħmlu dak li huwa l-aħjar għalina, għal ġisimna, għal saħħitna, għall-familji tagħna, għal ħajjitna.
Liema servizz tas-saħħa ieħor huwa kontra l-liġi? L-abort għandu jkun legali, aċċessibbli, lokali u b’xejn. Ħadd m’għandu jkun sfurzat li jkompli tqala kontra r-rieda tiegħu. Jekk irridu ngħixu f’soċjetà ġusta, jeħtieġ li niżguraw li kollha kemm aħna jkollna l-għażla fuq jekk irridux, meta rridu u ma’ min irridu jkollna t-tfal.
Il-Moviment Graffitti jiġġieled għall-ġustizzja soċjali u din tinkludi l-ġustizzja riproduttiva. Għalhekk aħna nagħmlu parti mill-koalizzjoni Voice for Choice, għax nemmnu li kulħadd għandu d-dritt li jagħżel iridx jagħmel abort u li kulħadd għandu jkollu aċċess għall-abort b’mod ugwali. Bħala parti mill-ġustizzja riproduttiva, hemm bżonn ukoll ta’ kampanji edukattivi kif ukoll aċċess eħfef għal kontraċettivi għall-but ta’ kulħadd.
