Brussels protest calls on Malta to legalise abortion
James Debono
On 1 April 2010, more than 550 people assembled in Brussels calling on Malta, Cyprus, Poland and Ireland to lift their ban on abortion. The march started in front of the embassy of Poland and passed in front of the embassies of Cyprus, Malta and Ireland.
A delegation of representatives of the NGOs organising the event met with the representatives of the embassies of Poland and Ireland, and an audience with the embassies of Cyprus and Malta will take place in the next two weeks, the NGOs said.
The initiators of this campaign are a platform of civil society organizations from Belgium, Cyprus, Ireland and Poland, which joined forces to lead a campaign on the right to abort for all women in Europe and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Belgian law decriminalizing abortion.
While women rights organisations from the other three countries with restrictive abortion laws participated in the march, no Maltese organisation took part.
The platform of NGOs which organised the event had previously called for a mass mobilization of politicians and civil society organizations from all over Europe to sign an open letter calling on the EU and the government of Cyprus, Malta, Poland and Ireland to ensure that all women fully enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights.
On 31 March, the letter was signed by more than 150 organisations and politicians and is still open for signatures until 12 April.
This open letter will be sent to the governments of Malta, Cyprus, Poland and Ireland and to the European Union institutions to call again for the right to abort for all women in Europe.
The signatories of this letter expressed their deep concern “that in certain European countries, namely Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and Poland, the right to abort is not acknowledged,” and that “this worsens the distress of women living there who have decided to have their pregnancy terminated”.
According to the signatories, prohibiting abortion does not prevent women from aborting but instead has consequences that are often catastrophic.
“Moreover, such an interdict creates an inequality with regard to the right to health as the access to an abortion carried out in good conditions is easier for women who are able to pay for it”.
The letter calls on EU authorities to take measures falling within their competence to ensure that all women living in Europe may equally enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights.
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