Festival Area: How the health!

Organisation Description

We are a non-profit organisation (VO/1816) of medical professionals from various specialities that advocates for safe and legal access to reproductive services including abortion (termination of pregnancy) in Malta. All of us are based in Malta or have strong links to the country, and we are concerned at the current legal situation which bans abortion in all circumstances, no matter how negative an effect this is having on a woman’s physical and psychological health.

We are not the only medical practitioners who share this view. In fact all reputable international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) also recommend that women are granted legal and safe access to abortion. The WHO stated: “In countries where induced abortion is highly restricted by law, safe abortion has frequently become the privilege of the rich, while poor women are left with little choice but to resort to unsafe providers.” We think this accurately reflects Malta’s situation and it is not acceptable.

We shall be embarking on an information campaign, in collaboration with the coalition Voice for Choice, to promote the right to seek abortion in Malta, a right that is granted in every other member state of the European Union. We are here to ensure that all pregnant persons, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, beliefs or age are supported, respected and protected whatever their choices.

With COVID-19 having had such a dramatic effect on each and every one of our lives, SiTC have had to take the unfortunate but responsible decision to cancel any in person physical event, and with that we have to unfortunately give up on meeting and engaging with you all in person. However our fight for sexual and reproductive health in Malta goes on, so we invite you to watch a series of pre-recorded videos about sexual and reproductive health, as well as abortion and abortion rights, as part of the Science in the City virtual festival 2020!