Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 73(4) November 2023

Editorial. 
A Tried and Trusted Method for Legalising Abortion

Dr Pravin Thevathasan

The old tried and trusted method has been used to try and get abortion legalised in Peru according to the Catholic News Agency (August 13, 2023). A eleven year old girl had been allegedly raped by her stepfather and became pregnant. The pro-abortionists yet again exploited this tragic situation for their own purposes: abortion on demand. As a pro-life politician commented: "nothing is said about the protection and accom­paniment of this minor...what concerns me is the utilisation of these cases to promote abortion."

In Ireland, the pro-abortionists used the tragic case of Savita Halappanavar to legalise abortion. Savita died from sepsis while pregnant, an incredibly rare situation. In 2022, there was one abortion for every seven live births in Ireland. Ireland now has abortion on demand.

The tried and trusted method was also attempted in Malta recently. Malta happens to be my favourite place in Europe. Sadly, I have witnessed a recent rise in secularism even here. An extreme case was used to attack Malta's pro-life laws. An American tourist was 16 weeks pregnant when her membranes ruptured. The Maltese clinicians did their best for both mother and baby. Malta has a maternal mortality rate well below that of the United States or United Kingdom. The mother chose to travel to Spain to have her baby aborted.

The case was exploited by the pro-abortionists. Malta's Labour government sent a bill to clarify the nation's pro-life law, arguing that abortion may be needed when the mother's health is in danger. The response from the pro-life groups in Malta was remarkable. They organised a massive rally in December 2022. Medical experts and prominent public figures spoke out against the so-called clarification. The current president of Malta said that he would not endorse an abortion law. The former president spoke out against it. The opposition party came out against the abortion amendment. In June 2023, the government reversed its course, much to the anger of pro-abortionists.

Malta has shown the world that good medicine is about caring for the health of both mother and baby.

Reference

  • "How Malta just stopped legalised abortion" by Dr Miriam Sciberras, The Human Life Review Blog, 22 August, 2023