Proposal to decriminalize abortion prompts debate in Malta

A proposal to decriminalize abortion in Malta has stirred up a polarized debate in the country with the strictest abortion laws in the European Union

VALETTA, Malta -- A proposal to decriminalize abortion in Malta has stirred up a polarized debate on an issue long considered taboo in the country with the strictest abortion laws in the European Union. Independent lawmaker Marlene Farrugia caught many by surprise this month when she presented a bill in Parliament calling for the removal of paragraphs in the criminal code that make it a crime punishable by up to three years in prison to have an abortion or assist a woman in having one. Though the law is rarely enforced — the Home Affairs Ministry says the last person jailed for abortion was in 1980 — backers argue it acts as a deterrent. Farrugia disagrees, saying that the fear of reprisal and punishment prevents women from seeking counselling and help in Malta, where surveys show public opinion remains firmly against abortion. “Decriminalizing abortion is not the same as promoting it,” Farrugia told The Associated Press. “By criminalizing women, stigmatizing the subject of abortion and keeping this discussion a taboo, we are not saving lives and we are not helping the cause of making abortion obsolete.”