Abstract

Malta has become the world’s leading country for LGBTIQ rights while also being one of the few places in the world where abortion remains illegal under any circumstance. Building on studies which focus on Latin America, this article analyses why this small EU country has become socially liberal in many aspects while abortion remains taboo with a majority of the population holding anti-abortion views. First, we outline the Maltese political system, a two-party system where single-party governments have enjoyed absolute control over parliamentary business for 60 years and where the Catholic Church is obliged, under the Constitution, to teach what is right and wrong. We then analyze whether issue networks, framing and timing provide an adequate framework within which to explain this difference in public policy before concluding on the short-term prospects of Malta changing its ban on abortion, especially as political support remains for the ban to be incorporated into the constitution.

摘要

马耳他已成为 LGBTIQ 权利的世界领先国家，同时也是世界上为数不多的在任何情况下堕胎仍然非法的地方之一。基于对拉丁美洲的研究，本文分析了为什么这个欧盟小国在许多方面变得社会自由，而堕胎仍然是禁忌，大多数人持有反堕胎观点。首先，我们概述了马耳他的政治体制，这是一个两党制，单党政府对议会事务享有 60 年的绝对控制权，天主教会根据宪法有义务教导什么是对什么是错。然后我们分析是否问题网络，