The illegality of abortion in Malta : in whose interest?

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to study the violations of women's reproductive rights in Malta through the issue of abortion. The research questions the present illegal status of abortion and attempts to provide an analysis of the role played by the medico-legal-moral power elite, (which for the purpose of this study have been identified as being the Catholic Church, the Medical Profession and the State; thus medico-legal-moral), in exerting patriarchal power and eliciting social control on women seeking termination of pregnancy. This analysis will be examined in the light of radical feminist theory and the Foucauldian perspective. The research methodology utilized for this dissertation is an analytical one, based on both official and non-official documentary research and qualitative interviewing, whilst utilizing sociological discourse. The main methodological tools employed are those of content analysis and semi-structured interviewing, which tools were employed within the framework of the utilized theoretical perspectives. Through a local literature review, a depiction of the Maltese present abortion state of affairs is put forward. The exploration of the abortion debate has mainly been analysed through 'Women on Waves' project proposal and Malta's negotiations for accession within the European Union. The pro-life position of the local power's elite position on abortion is presented through a content analysis of their contribution to the abortion debate and their repertoire of utilized discourse. Another main area of study consists in an analysis of 10 case studies of Maltese women who have experienced termmat10n of pregnancy through the abortion event, focusing on their abortion experience and ideological framework.