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Euronews
an hour ago
- Health
- Euronews
Pro-LGBTQ+ yet anti-abortion: What's behind Malta's differing stances?
When Belle de Jong shared her experience of having an abortion on national TV in Malta in 2021, she became the first woman in the tiny Mediterranean island nation to do so publicly. The reaction to her interview reflected how this aspect of healthcare remains deeply divisive on the staunchly Catholic island, which has the EU's most restrictive abortion law. 'I received literally hundreds of messages from (Maltese) women saying, thank you for speaking about it, either saying they had an abortion or implying it,' she told Euronews. But de Jong, a pro-choice activist and journalist, also received a wave of messages calling her a 'baby killer', which she said mostly came from older people. '(I also received) comments like, 'If you don't want to get pregnant, don't spread your legs', or 'Why didn't you just use protection?' Which, obviously, can fail,' she added. De Jong, who is from the Netherlands but has lived in Malta since 2017, underwent a termination while visiting her home country after her contraceptive pill failed. While she said it had been the 'obvious choice' for her at the time, she stressed the barriers that remain for women in Malta due to its draconian abortion law. 'People are afraid to Google things because imagine if the government finds out, many don't know where to get the pills, for how long you can take the pills … And after a certain point you will need to travel (to have a surgical abortion), meaning you need the money for that, you need to know where to go,' she said. 'And on top of all that, you can't tell anyone. So it's extremely isolating and scary, because you're constantly afraid of being investigated,' de Jong added. Malta's contrasting positions While a shadow was cast over Pride celebrations this month in some parts of Europe, Malta continues to boast a reputation for advancing LGBTQ+ rights. Last month, it once again came first in the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association's ranking of European countries — a position it has held for a decade. In recent years, Malta has advanced LGBTQ+ rights at a breakneck pace: since 2013, it has introduced same-sex civil partnerships, equal marriage rights, adoption rights for same-sex couples, a ban on so-called conversion therapy practices, and self-ID for trans people. But this stands in sharp contrast with its near-total abortion ban: the nation of a half a million is home to the EU's most restrictive abortion law, criminalising terminations even in cases of rape and foetal anomalies. The gulf between the state of these rights appears entrenched in Malta, with experts telling Euronews there seems to be little political will to expand access to reproductive rights as the majority of the population is opposed to abortion. For Robert Attard, Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement's community outreach coordinator, the context of the nation's advance in queer rights is rooted in the movement's activism over the years and the end of a long spell of conservative governments. 'The LGBTIQ rights movement has been lobbying for equal rights since 2001 … Once the government changed, the calls for equal rights were quite successful,' he told Euronews. Underlining the way society's perceptions can at times trail legislation, Attard said Malta has progressed alongside the raft of laws enshrining rights for LGBTQ+ people. 'I believe if there had been a referendum for equal marriage in 2014, it would not have passed. But surveys show over half of the island is now in favour of equal marriage and adoption. 'Being a small island really, really works in favour of us in this aspect. Let's say, a homophobic, very Catholic (person), realises her neighbour's nice son is gay … Since the rights started rolling in, people felt more comfortable in their own identity and there was this visibility.' However, he noted that trans people on the island still face a higher degree of discrimination, while LGBTQ+ asylum seekers also face challenges. Attard's organisation is part of the pro-abortion Voice for Choice coalition, and he sees the queer and reproductive rights as connected. 'We acknowledge the idea of bodily autonomy and that our rights intersect. Also, there are LBT people who are affected by this (abortion) law as well,' he said, noting that abortion remains 'taboo' and far more controversial. 'Malta is very family oriented — acceptance for civil partnership and adoption is much bigger. Children as young as 11 are shown anti-abortion propaganda at schools,' Attard added. The centrality of the family In Attard's view, moving the dial on abortion is a much tougher sell on the Catholic majority island — a perspective shared by all whom Euronews spoke to. Prof Marceline Naudi, associate professor at the University of Malta's Department of Gender and Sexualities, also attributed the intransigence on reproductive healthcare to 'the primacy of the family' in Maltese society. 'Malta is very family-centred (and) LGBTQ+ rights, although they can be seen to challenge the 'traditional family' form, so to speak, don't really impinge. When the rights took a leap forward, it was not seen as threatening the family. 'However, abortion is very clearly seen as (doing so). The anti-choice movement says 'unborn children' are part of the family,' Naudi added. The advancement of these rights was helped by a minister who drove the policies activists had been demanding for years, Naudi told Euronews: 'Helena Dalli, who then became European Commissioner for Equality, was pivotal in this moving forward.' 'There was a stronger political will to push for that than has ever been in abortion,' Naudi added. De Jong agreed with this, adding that she believed that expanding rights like equal marriage "were not as controversial but look very good for politicians ... you like you're going forward as a country". The country's blanket abortion ban was slightly eased in 2023, after the case of a US tourist who had to be airlifted to Spain to undergo a lifesaving abortion captured headlines internationally. But while the legislation initially proposed would have relaxed the ban to allow for abortions in cases where there was a risk to the pregnant person's health, it was subsequently amended to stipulate that they must be at risk of death to access an abortion — and even then, only after three specialists' consent. Naudi considered this amendment to be 'part of this right-wing backlash', observed globally spanning the rights of women and minorities. Dr Miriam Sciberras, CEO of Life Network Foundation in Malta, a group that describes itself as promoting "pro-life values in Maltese society", rejected the idea that the country's restrictive abortion legislation and advancement of LGBTQ+ rights were at odds. "Malta is both pro-LGBT and pro-life — these views are not contradictory. Both are rooted in the belief that every human life has value and deserves dignity. Both LGBT individuals and unborn children have historically faced, and sometimes still face dehumanization," she told Euronews in a statement. "Being pro-life means extending that same care to the unborn, who are also vulnerable and voiceless. A consistent ethic of human dignity includes all of us, born and unborn, gay or straight. Abortion eliminates a human life, the life of a child, gay or straight, period." In a month that sees many European countries host Pride celebrations — Malta holds its events in September — the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) warned of a 'backsliding'. 'Across Europe, we observe worrying developments of democratic backsliding, attacks on civil society and challenges to fundamental rights, including the rights of LGBTIQ people," FRA spokesperson Nicole Romain told Euronews. 'It is essential that all EU countries stay the course and respect fundamental rights. Because how we treat the LGBTIQ community is a litmus test for the strength of our democratic societies'. More women taking abortion pills One thing is clear: abortion bans do not prevent women from ending unwanted or unviable pregnancies altogether. Prof Isabel Stabile of the University of Malta, who is a gynaecologist, told Euronews that some 600 pregnancies were terminated in Malta last year using abortion pills — a number that has risen in recent years. Stabile is a member of the non-profit Doctors for Choice, which was founded in 2019 to provide information for those who want to end a pregnancy. Healthcare professionals in Malta can give information about overseas abortion and refer patients to the Abortion Support Network without any fear of legal repercussions, their site states, noting that providing such information to patients is backed by the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice. 'We provide an information service through our website and have an abortion doula service,' she said. "Women can call us with questions about what's normal, shall I go to the hospital … We talk to somewhere between one and two women every day.' The risk of prosecution remains a concern for women, she said. 'For women, the legal risk is intense. If they go to the hospital, and for some reason, in some way, the fact that they had an abortion is revealed either through them or through a partner or whatever, then they are liable to a three-year prison term. "It is a serious concern, we've had women prosecuted in the past,' she said, noting it is often the island's 'most marginalised' at risk, though there have been no imprisonments in over two decades. Doctors who carry out abortions outside of Malta's restrictive law are liable to a four-year prison term as well as the loss of their medical license. Like others Euronews spoke to, Stabile said that in private, several representatives backed pro-choice positions — but were not willing to put their necks on the line politically. The government tends to ignore Doctors for Choice, Stabile said. 'The last thing it needs is women dying. It is far better to leave us alone, let us do our work, and not have a revolution on their hands. 'The abortion numbers have shot up in recent years, because it's safe, it's available. Abortion care is health care. It is also, unfortunately, illegal.' Euronews has reached out to Malta's government for comment. An emerging public conversation Three years after she went on TV to speak about her decision to end a pregnancy, de Jong led a campaign to garner Maltese support for a pro-choice European initiative. The My Voice, My Choice campaign aims to secure free access to abortion across the bloc. She succeeded in collecting the required threshold of 4,230 signatures needed for Malta, noting that most preferred to do so online rather than in person due to stigma. 'The campaign was an eye-opener — it showed there was more support than we were aware of. Most of these people would never post about their pro-choice views on Facebook," de Jong said. Still, she agreed with others that a public conversation is beginning to emerge on the island — and believed this has to grow before representatives will act. 'It's so important to change public opinion. Over the past six years or so, that discussion has, slowly but surely, started to come out,' she added.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Experts will assess damage to Iran's nuclear sites, says diplomat
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel brokered by the US continues to hold, but many questions remain about what is left of Tehran's nuclear programme amid controversy on the impact of US strikes on the facilities. Speaking to Euronews, Iran's ambassador to Greece, Malek Hossein Gevzad, said the crisis had rallied the Iranian people and that the damage to nuclear sites from US strikes would be assessed by experts. Gevzad said Iran believes in diplomacy, but stressed that circumstances have changed and decisions are now taken with the protection of national interests in mind. Diplomacy and self-protection: finding a difficult balance "The basic principle of Iran's foreign policy is and remains diplomacy and negotiations," he said. However, he noted that following the aggression that, according to the Iranian side, Israel and the US have shown, Iran has been forced to adjust its stance. US pilots dropped some 30,000-pound bombs early Sunday on two key underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran, delivering what American military leaders believe is a knockout blow to a nuclear programme that Israel views as an existential threat. Before the US involvement, Israel had been pummeling Iran for more than a week and had requested US intervention to complete the job. American sailors bolstered the surprise mission by firing dozens of cruise missiles from a submarine toward at least one other site. According to the Iranian diplomat to Greece, these actions were a violation of Iran's territorial sovereignty, which gives the Islamic Republic the right to respond. Damage to nuclear facilities - Estimates expected Gevzad argued that Iran's nuclear programme was used exclusively for peaceful purposes and was severely damaged. The extent of the damage is being assessed by Iranian experts once the safety of the infrastructure has been ensured, he said. The reaction of Iranians and the attitude of the West Despite the tension between Iran and the West, the ambassador stressed the unity of the Iranian people: "The aggression caused national unity and strengthened the rallying of the people around the government and the armed forces." In the same context, he strongly criticised Europe, which he accused of not only failing to condemn the attacks, but in some cases supporting the aggressor side. The Iranian ambassador praised Russia and China for their condemnation of the Israeli-US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites. Gedanz said this shows a clear stance in favour of Iran, condemning hostile actions against it. Their support, he said, "is an important factor in maintaining international stability and peace" The Iranian diaspora in Greece The ambassador concluded by thanking the Iranian community residing in Greece, which he described as "united and committed to defending the homeland". He said Iranians in the diaspora stood in solidarity with the people, government and armed forces of Iran. A relatively small Iranian diaspora resides in Greece, with most arriving after the 1979 Iranian Revolution or the Iran-Iraq War. In 2021, approximately 2,500 Iranians were living in Greece.
Euronews
a day ago
- Business
- Euronews
EU Commission to call on companies to sign AI Code
The European Commission will next week stage a workshop in an effort try to convince companies to sign the Code of Practice on general-purpose AI (GPAI) before it enters into force on 2 August, according to a document seen by Euronews. The Code of Practice on GPAI, a voluntary set of rules, aims to help providers of AI models, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, comply with the EU's AI Act. The final version of the Code was set to come out early May but has been delayed. The workshop, organised by the Commission's AI Office, will discuss the final code of practice, as well as 'benefits of signing the Code', according to the internal document. In September 2024 the Commission appointed thirteen experts to draft the rules, using plenary sessions and workshops to gather feedback. The process has been criticised throughout, by tech giants as well as publishers and rights-holders concerned that the rules violate the EU's Copyright laws. The US government's Mission to the EU sent a letter to the EU executive pushing back against the Code in April, claiming that it stifles innovation. In addition, Meta's global policy chief, Joel Kaplan, said in February that it will not sign the Code because it took issue with the then latest version. An EU official told Euronews in May, that US companies 'are very proactive' and there was sense that 'they are pulling back because of a change in the administration', following the trade tensions between the US and EU. Euronews reported last month that US tech giants Amazon, IBM, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI have called upon the EU executive to keep its Code 'as simple as possible', to avoid redundant reporting and unnecessary administrative burdens'. A spokesperson for the European Commission previously said the Code will appear before early August, when the rules on GPAI tools enter into force. The Commission will assess companies' intentions to sign the code, and carry out an adequacy assessment with the member states. The EU executive can then decide to formalise the Code through an implementing act. The AI Act – which regulates AI tools according to the risks they pose to society – entered into force gradually last year, however, some provisions will only apply in 2027.
Euronews
a day ago
- Business
- Euronews
EU Commission to call on companies to sign AI Code in workshop
The European Commission will next week stage a workshop in an effort try to convince companies to sign the Code of Practice on general-purpose AI (GPAI) before it enters into force on 2 August, according to a document seen by Euronews. The Code of Practice on GPAI, a voluntary set of rules, aims to help providers of AI models, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, comply with the EU's AI Act. The final version of the Code was set to come out early May but has been delayed. The workshop, organised by the Commission's AI Office, will discuss the final code of practice, as well as 'benefits of signing the Code', according to the internal document. In September 2024 the Commission appointed thirteen experts to draft the rules, using plenary sessions and workshops to gather feedback. The process has been criticised throughout, by tech giants as well as publishers and rights-holders concerned that the rules violate the EU's Copyright laws. The US government's Mission to the EU sent a letter to the EU executive pushing back against the Code in April, claiming that it stifles innovation. In addition, Meta's global policy chief, Joel Kaplan, said in February that it will not sign the Code because it took issue with the then latest version. An EU official told Euronews in May, that US companies 'are very proactive' and there was sense that 'they are pulling back because of a change in the administration', following the trade tensions between the US and EU. Euronews reported last month that US tech giants Amazon, IBM, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI have called upon the EU executive to keep its Code 'as simple as possible', to avoid redundant reporting and unnecessary administrative burdens'. A spokesperson for the European Commission previously said the Code will appear before early August, when the rules on GPAI tools enter into force. The Commission will assess companies' intentions to sign the code, and carry out an adequacy assessment with the member states. The EU executive can then decide to formalise the Code through an implementing act. The AI Act – which regulates AI tools according to the risks they pose to society – entered into force gradually last year, however, some provisions will only apply in 2027.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
C-suite overconfidence in AI could prove bad for business, says survey
In an ever-changing geo-political and economic climate, the key to business success appears to be the ability to adapt. Add into that the fast-paced world of tech and AI, and if you're not ready for change, you'll get left behind. 'AI is [such] an evolving ecosystem that companies are thinking through introducing a level of agility in their decision-making to give them the capacity to take on what AI is going to bring our way over the next while, without really, completely knowing what the answer is,' Jad Shimaly, global managing partner of client service at EY, told Euronews. But as companies prepare for increased AI adoption and innovation, are their consumers happy with the risks they're taking? The true definition of responsible AI appears to be somewhat up for debate, and that could have serious business consequences, according to EY's latest Responsible AI Pulse survey. 'There seems to be a decent gap between C-suite expectations and understanding of what responsible AI and what the risk of AI is and what customer and consumer's expectations are,' Jad explained. The survey highlighted that, in organisations that have already fully integrated AI, many C-suite leaders 'have misplaced confidence in the strength of their responsible AI practices and their alignment with consumer concerns'. This could lead to a reduction in consumer trust and a reduced competitive edge for the company, which is only set to increase as things like agentic AI become more prevalent. 'CEOs stand out as an exception — showing greater concern around responsible AI, a viewpoint that's more closely aligned with consumer sentiment,' the report noted, however. 'One in five CEOs think that they have AI risk under control, while a third of their C-suite think that they have AI risks under control,' Jad told Euronews. 'So the CEOs seem to be a bit less comfortable that AI risk is being fully understood and mitigated than their C-suite.' This difference in perception between CEOs and their senior colleagues is potentially linked to lower awareness levels or lower perceived accountability. 'It may also exhibit an imperfect understanding of the true potential of AI,' the survey added. Jad was confident, however, that as regulations around responsible AI become clearer and more harmonised across the world, consumers will feel more assured that risks are being sufficiently mitigated. Related Businesses set to fail if cyber resilience not most important thing says Splunk strategy head Air Astana: How can Kazakhstan's flag carrier boost its dwindling share price? Topics that incited different levels of concern between C-suite individuals and consumers included AI-generated misinformation, the use of AI to manipulate individuals, and AI's impact on vulnerable segments of society. Both sides weren't hugely concerned by the idea of job losses, the topic where they aligned most. The survey also found that companies still in the process of integrating AI were much more closely aligned with the level of concern of their consumers, compared to those who had already fully integrated AI. 'Just over half (51%) of [C-suite] in this group believe they're well aligned — compared with 71% of [C-suite] in organisations where AI is already fully integrated across the business,' the survey stated. Watch the video above to see more from the interview with EY's Jad Shimaly.
