Age Is The Most Telling Factor When It Comes To Legalising Abortion In Malta
While the majority of Malta vehemently supports the island’s blanket abortion ban, young people are the most likely to be in favour of legalisation, according to a new study by leading statistician Vincent Marmara.
The difference between those in favour and against one of Malta’s most heated issues was the slimmest for 16 to 25-year-olds – 46% said they were in favour of abortion legislation while 53% said they were against.
Answers were miles apart for other age groups.
People over 65+ were the most likely to be against allowing pregnancy termination, with an overwhelming majority (97%) voting no for abortion.
However, anti-choice sentiments in Malta decrease as the age lowers, with 56 to 65 year olds on par with the oldest group (97%), while the bulk hovers at around 75%.
Malta is one of the last countries in the world where abortion is illegal in every circumstance. And while the majority still supports its criminalisation, a dialogue has accelerated with the founding of pro-choice organisations on the island in the last two years.
At least 58 Maltese women got abortions in the UK last year.
This hardly paints the full picture, with many opting to travel to other European countries for the procedure, or obtaining pills from the internet.
Requests for help surged in the last months, when COVID-19 grounded commercial flights out of the country. In fact, UK charity Abortion Support Network reported helping 87 Maltese women terminate their pregnancies in 2020.
What do you think of these new figures?
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