Malta’s Political Conundrum: Europe’s Leading Country for LGBTIQ Rights and the Ban on Abortion

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.