Changing the Abortion Narrative Landscape in Malta

This paper was presented at the Birthing, Mothering and Othering Conference at the University of Lausanne, October 2025. This paper examines how abortion stigma and restrictive reproductive governance shape abortion care in Malta, where abortion remains almost entirely criminalized. Drawing on reproductive justice, intersectionality, and stigma frameworks, the authors analyze their practice within Doctors for Choice Malta and the Abortion Doula Support Service, introducing the DARED (Doctor–Activist–Researcher–Educator–Doula) model as a holistic response to legal, social, and institutional constraints. Through two case studies—a woman in a coercive relationship and an adolescent seeking a self-managed medical abortion—the paper illustrates how structural, interpersonal, and internalized stigma intersect with gender, age, and socioeconomic vulnerability to endanger reproductive autonomy. Using a medical anthropology lens, the authors show how the DARED framework enables providers to combine clinical expertise, advocacy, education, research, and emotional accompaniment to ensure safety and dignity in abortion care. Their findings underscore the need for reflexive, multi-dimensional practitioner roles in restrictive settings and contribute globally relevant insights into how reproductive justice can be operationalized under constraint.