The Malta Independent on Sunday
If you are waging war on ‘baby murderers’, you are nothing more than a hypocrite
Boy oh boy, where to begin? Malta’s waning anti women and laughably called “pro-life” brigade have had their dwindling ranks boosted by some interesting characters over the last couple of weeks.
Joining the vociferous panel of ‘experts’ consisting of a real estate agent and a few ageing priests, we have had the pleasure of a male IT consultant who believes he has the right to lecture the women of Malta on what they should do with their bodies.
Realising that relying on someone who tells women who oppose him to “go and do some filing”, or consider abortion more seriously than lip injections, probably wasn’t going to get many people on side, they decided to wheel out the big guns.
Rebecca Kiessling is an American woman who makes a portion of her living from speaking (and, I imagine, writing) about why abortions are abhorrent, and why women who resort to them are nothing more than murderers. The justifications for her views are due to the fact that she was conceived through rape and although her mother attempted an abortion, she carried Rebecca to term and is now glad she did. It’s a terribly sad story with a wonderfully happy and, I imagine, financially lucrative ending. I am over the moon that this awful trauma that befell Rebecca’s mother ended in such a positive and life-affirming way; however life is not that kind to all of us.
Ms Kiessling’s article took aim at the Women’s Rights Foundation, stating that they are targeting precious Maltese babies and nefariously lying in wait, just counting down the minutes until they can “use lethal weapons against them”. Conveniently, the author forgot to mention all the other good work that the WRF does, such as providing legal assistance, helping those who have suffered domestic and genderbased violence, fighting for equality and providing both legal and other kinds of support to those who have been victims of sexual assault and human trafficking. It seems, as with so many other “pro-life” campaigners, that their concern with life at the moment the baby takes its first breath, as no notice was given to the other important services that the Foundation provides.
The article itself was nothing more than expertly crafted, psychological propaganda, designed to pull on the heart strings of those who are unable to think critically, logically, or even outside the box. It targeted the vulnerable minds in this country – the ones that don’t understand biology, contraception, sociology, human rights or common sense – and called them to arms with misinformation, misguided statements and a whole lot of hatred.
But all is not lost. During my decade in Malta, I have noticed something wonderful. Once upon a time, the word ‘abortion’ was something that you whispered under your breath. It was never discussed, and there were people that felt guilty even thinking about it, but now times are changing. Even in the last 12 months, I have noticed a shift on social media. More and more women are coming out in favour of discussion, in favour of education and in favour of choice. The veil of indoctrination and brain-washing is being lifted and slowly the light is seeping its way in. Women (and some men) are beginning to understand that pro-choice is not being pro-abortion (a nonsense term coined by ‘pro-life’ fanatics) and, in fact, one can disagree with abortion 100 per cent and yet still be pro- choice.
I am pro-choice. I do not have children, nor do I want them. I also do not think I could have an abortion if I found myself in that situation, but until I am in that situation (God forbid), I will never know what my reaction would be. That is why I am pro-choice. I do not agree with irresponsibility and using abortion as a form of contraception, but I do believe that I have no right to control or decide what happens to a woman’s body. Every single case is different and, as such, every woman should be able to make the choice that is most suitable for her. Whether it is rape, incest, medical reasons, mental health issues, or due to age, situation, relationship status, or something we cannot even imagine, every woman should – and will – have the right to make a choice for herself. This is non-negotiable.
The problem with the situation in Malta is the lack of education. You have girls who think you can get pregnant through oral sex, and women who believe that contraception is 100 per cent effective. Some believe that most women regret having had an abortion (95 per cent do not, as multiple reputable studies have shown), and others think that women should abstain from sex if they don’t want to deal with the consequences. It is these judgemental, ill-informed and downright ignorant beliefs that are perpetuating the stigma around abortion, not the act of abortion itself.
We need to step up sex education in schools; we need to provide free contraception to women who require it; we need to provide other types of contraception that are not currently available here and we need to provide abortion as a solution, within reason, to those who need it. Those that do not believe in abortion are free not to have one, but they should keep their nose out of our uteruses.
You are not ‘protecting the unborn’, you are not ‘saving the lives of defenceless babies’, and you are not ‘waging war on baby murderers’ – you are being hypocritical, misogynistic fools and the reason why your cries are getting louder is because you know that human rights and commonsense will win in the end. You too notice the shift in public opinion, and you are scared that the way you make your money will soon be under threat.
A foetus is not the same as a baby, and a foetus does not and should not have equal rights to a grown woman: anyone who thinks otherwise is morally and scientifically wrong. To use the famous comparison (that I know some of you will try to say has been debunked – it hasn’t), I would choose to rescue a woman from a burning building, rather than a foetus. You can deny the accuracy of this argument all you like, but logically it is correct.
To Rebecca, I say keep pedalling your opinions, but don’t do a disservice to the WRF, which helps out many women in Malta – women who are in the same situation as your dear mother once was. To the male voices that insist on perpetuating abuse and misogynistic idiocy at any opportunity, I say, just wait and see. We will have our rights in the end and there is not a thing you can do to stop us.