This account was originally shared with Doctors for Choice Malta. This was during the parliamentary discussions of Bill 28 in November and December 2022. If the legal amendment is enacted, it will allow abortion when the pregnant person's life or health is in grave danger. This will mean that the healthcare professionals involved and the pregnant person herself will not be subjected to criminal sanctions in such scenarios.
The story below is being published on Break the Taboo Malta with the author's consent.
"It was around 30 years ago. A young pregnant woman died at just the age of 24 years. I don't know the exact reason why, because although not so long ago, at that time people did not really like to say what happened or not. All we knew is that the pregnancy was weakening her slowly and her blood pressure was sky high.
I was just a child but I was taken to her funeral. I will never forget how her mother was not just crying but screaming in pain. When her coffin was brought in she kept saying, "jaħasra jaħasra" over and over again and sobbing. Although I did not know it then, it was at that moment that I became pro-choice and always will be.
Some pro-lifers may say that medicine has improved and that no woman has died in the last 12 years. But I say, let's put women first and have laws that will protect pregnant women's health and lives before anything else. No more tragedies, no more what ifs, let's safeguard women."