Every woman has a different story. Your mother, your aunt, your sister and all the other female role models you may have in your life, deserve a choice. Pro-choice gives women the opportunity to explore all their possibilities in the event of an unwanted pregnancy. It does not simply deal with abortion but also strives to provide all the accurate information regarding different options, such as the morning after pill and adoption.
Most consider Malta a conservative country due to the fact that the majority of the population are practising Christians. However, in recent years we have seen a new wave of reform with the new generations rising above the traditionalists with the introduction of divorce and most recently civil partnerships. So why should we pride ourselves for remaining behind? Legalizing abortion means that women will be able to receive the correct medical treatment they need, in their own country, allowing us to step into the future.
In her article entitled Slaughter of the Innocents (TMIS 24 January 2016), Dr Sciberras paints a picture of an ideal world plagued by the pro-choice villains. She writes about the "crude reality of abortion" completely omitting the crude reality that is life. Life is not the fairytale her article depicts. Women are victims in this war and are often pushed aside for the rights of the potential of life, and branded murders.
In 2012, Malta had the highest teen pregnancy rate per capita in Europe according to the European perinatal health report. Another figure, from the National Statistics Office, shows that 32 babies were born to girls aged 16 and under in 2011. This is the reality we face today. Dr Sciberras proudly claimed that Malta was one out of six countries in the United Nations in which abortion is illegal. Being a mother is a job that not everyone is right for. Pro-choice activists are not the enemy. They are fighting for opportunities, so we should not single them out as criminals.
What struck me the most about Dr Sciberras' article was the portrayal of the American organization, Planned Parenthood and the pro-life debate, which came to light last year in America. Planned Parenthood was engulfed in scandal last year due to a series of viral videos taken by the Centre for Medical Progress, an undercover anti-abortion group that claimed to show Planned Parenthood illegally profiting from the sale of foetal tissue.
The valid information that Dr Sciberras chose to disregard is that Planned Parenthood won the case and that a formal investigation was launched, by several different states, and no valid evidence was found to support these claims. In a quote taken from 'The American Prospect' when addressing congress on 20th December, Cecil Richards chairman of Planned Parenthood said: "At Planned Parenthood, we believe that women should be able to make their own decision about their pregnancies and their futures - and the majority of Americans agree. We trust women to make these decisions in consultation with their families, their doctors, and their faith, and not by Congress."
As a nation we cannot continue to live in a blissful bubble of ignorance or allow pro-life activists to continue to brainwash our country. We have access to information so let us stand up for our rights and pro-choice, and not be shamed into thinking that we are not owed that decision.
Laura Schembri