As we have been doing every year for the past seven years, the reproductive justice coalition “Voice for Choice” organised its annual rally to mark the International Safe Abortion Day on the 28th of September. This event is happening after months of direct outreach where activists took to squares and public spaces to speak with people about abortion.

This street initiative reflects a deliberate direction the coalition has taken. On such a sensitive subject and amid the polarisation and tension of social media, the Coalition feels that nothing is more effective than personal, genuine dialogue, away from cameras and the toxicity of online comments.

Our experience on the street was positive. Although not everyone agreed, many understood that behind every decision is a story, a particular circumstance and a carefully made choice. Above all, it became clear that almost no one wants to see women arrested or dragged to court, a sentiment that heavily contrasts with the insults on social media, which do not reflect the real thoughts of people who often don’t feel comfortable expressing themselves in hostile digital spaces.

Today, the myth that Malta is an “abortion-free” island is gone once and for all. Statistics and support services clearly show that every day, one or two women in Malta have an abortion in their homes using pills. Abortion is already part of our reality and we can no longer pretend that it is something that happens only to “foreigners”.

This is exactly why the coalition has also updated its visuals, adopting the Maltese Rock-Centaury (Widnet il-Baħar), our national plant, as a local symbol of resilience and the ongoing fight for free, safe and decriminalised abortion.

While politicians continue to shirk their responsibility and fail in their obligation to decriminalise abortion, the coalition will remain there for every person who might need one. We are not just activists; we are friends, colleagues, and sisters. Even if the state continues to abandon anyone who needs an abortion, this network of solidarity will continue to offer information, logistical help, and emotional support so that no woman or person carries this experience in loneliness or fear.

This year’s rallying cry and central message is: “Hey sis, I’m thinking of you.”

It is the comforting WhatsApp message to a friend anxiously waiting for the pills to arrive by mail; it is the support for a colleague who took a day off to take her first dose; and it is the safe space for that woman we met on the street who told us that our activists were the first people with whom she could ever share her secret and her story.

The fight for safe and decriminalised reproductive healthcare in Malta will not stop until the dignity and health of every woman and person who can get pregnant are fully respected.

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Voice for Choice jfakkru l-Jum Internazzjonali għall-Abort Sigur b’dimostrazzjoni ta’ solidarjetà

Bħal kull sena għal dawn l-aħħar seba’ snin, il-koalizzjoni għal ġustizzja riproduttiva “Voice for Choice” organizzat id-dimostrazzjoni annwali tagħha biex tfakkar it-28 ta’ Settembru, il-Jum Internazzjonali għall-Abort Sigur. Din l-attività saret wara xhur ta’ ħidma diretta fejn l-attivisti niżlu fil-pjazez u f’postijiet pubbliċi oħra biex jitkellmu man-nies fuq dan is-suġġett.

Din l-inizjattiva fit-toroq tirrifletti direzzjoni konxja li ħadet il-koalizzjoni. Meta għandek suġġett daqshekk sensittiv u meta tqis il-polarizzazzjoni u t-tensjoni tal-midja soċjali, m’hemm xejn aktar effettiv minn djalogu personali u ġenwin lil hinn mid-dwal tal-kameras, il-mikrofoni u t-tossiċità tal-kummenti online.

L-esperjenza fit-toroq kienet waħda pożittiva. Għalkemm mhux dejjem kien hemm qbil ma’ kulħadd, ħafna fehmu li wara kull deċiżjoni hemm storja, ċirkostanzi partikolari, u għażla meħuda bir-reqqa. Fuq kollox, ħareġ ċar li kważi ħadd ma jrid jara lil dawn in-nisa arrestati jew imkaxkra l-qorti, sentiment li jikkuntrasta bil-kbir mat-tgħajjir fuq l-internet, li ma jirriflettix il-ħsibijiet reali tan-nies li spiss ma jħossuhomx komdi jesprimu ruħhom fi spazji diġitali ostili.

Illum il-ġurnata, il-mit li Malta hija gżira “ħielsa mill-abort” spiċċa darba għal dejjem. L-istatistika u s-servizzi li jagħtu appoġġ juru biċ-ċar li kuljum mara jew tnejn f’Malta jagħmlu abort ġewwa djarhom permezz tal-pilloli. L-abort qiegħed hawn, u ħadd ma jista’ jkompli jidfen rasu fir-ramel u jippretendi li dan huwa biss xi fenomenu tal-barranin.

Huwa proprju għalhekk li l-koalizzjoni aġġornat ukoll il-logo tagħha, billi adottat il-Widnet il-Baħar, il-pjanta nazzjonali tagħna, bħala simbolu lokali ta’ reżiljenza u ta’ ġlieda kontinwa għal abort ħieles, sigur u dekriminalizzat.

Filwaqt li l-politiċi jibqgħu ifarfru r-responsabbiltà tagħhom u jonqsu mill-obbligu li jiddekriminalizzaw l-abort, il-koalizzjoni se tibqa’ hemm għal kull persuna li jista’ jkollha bżonn l-abort. Aħna m’aħniex biss attivisti, aħna l-ħbieb, il-kollegi, u l-aħwa. Sakemm l-istat jibqa’ jabbanduna lil kull min jeħtieġ l-abort, din ix-xirka ta’ solidarjetà se tkompli toffri informazzjoni, għajnuna loġistika u wens emozzjonali sabiex ebda mara jew persuna ma ġġorr din l-esperjenza waħedha jew bil-biża’.

L-għajta u l-messaġġ ċentrali ta’ din is-sena huma: “’Aw oħt, ħsiebi fik.”

Huwa l-messaġġ ta’ wens fuq WhatsApp lil ħabiba li tkun qed tistenna l-pilloli jaslu bil-posta fuq ix-xwiek; hija l-ispalla li nagħtu lil kollega li ħadet ġurnata leave biex tieħu l-ewwel doża; u huwa l-ispazju sigur għal dik il-mara li ltqajna magħha fit-triq u qaltilna li l-attivisti tagħna kienu l-ewwel persuni li magħhom qatt setgħet taqsam is-sigriet u l-istorja tagħha.

Il-ġlieda għal kura riproduttiva sigura u dekriminalizzata f’Malta mhix se tieqaf sakemm id-dinjità u s-saħħa ta’ kull mara u persuna li tista’ toħroġ tqila jiġu rispettati bis-sħiħ.