TG leader takes part in online discussion on abortion laws

Together Gibraltar Leader Marlene Hassan Nahon took part in an international panel discussion on Thursday and spoke about the upcoming Gibraltar referendum.

The discussion online was held following the release of The 8^th, a documentary on the Irish referendum to legalise abortion, produced by Together Films.

“Speaking on the panel discussion, Ms Hassan Nahon said her party was of the view that the referendum should never had been held, and because it was not a Constitutional issue like in Ireland, the Executive would have been able to legislate without a public vote,” Together Gibraltar said in a statement.

“However, she said she was the only woman on Opposition benches, and expressed

the view that in Gibraltar’s Parliament, women’s rights were poorly represented.”

“She said the ‘anti-choice’ campaign had campaigned under the banner of ‘save babies,

vote no’, but added that a ‘no’ vote in this referendum would not save any babies because Gibraltarian women would continue to have abortions in a Spanish clinic which she could see from her own window.”

Also present were campaigner and politician Wanda Nowicka from Poland, Irish feminist and LGBTQ activist Ailbhe Smyth, US abortion activist Sonja Spoor and moderated by documentary producer Lucy Kennedy.

“Ms Hassan Nahon said the fact that she herself had had four children and would not

have an abortion herself did not preclude her from fighting for choice for other

women,” a TG spokesman said.

“She was critical of Gibraltar’s male-dominated political and religious hierarchy who had contributed to the local debate and said it was up to women to fight for this right and force the issue forward.”

Ms Hassan Nahon told the panel western societies “had to move away from religious patriarchy dominating secular law”.

She underscored the importance of people turning up to vote on the day of the referendum, and was concerned that “Covid fatigue” which had set in over the past year would discourage people from voting.

A party spokesman said the panel praised Ms Hassan Nahon for her campaign, and were confident the Yes campaign would be successful at this referendum.