How Do Religion, Gender and Age Affect Doctors’ Beliefs and Attitudes about Abortion in Malta

In spite of an almost complete ban on abortion in Catholic Malta, 667 women underwent an abortion in 2025. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the knowledge and beliefs of doctors with regards to abortion in Malta. Literature shows that personal religious/moral beliefs reduce participation in care even where abortion is legal and predict pro-choice positions early in medical school training. Belief-driven behaviors drive conscientious objection, reluctance to provide information or refer, and fear of public support, translating into barriers to access. Our study shows that although the majority of Maltese doctors agree that abortion should be decriminalized for both women and doctors, most are still severely lacking in their knowledge about abortion. We focus on ways that abortion knowledge affects personal beliefs, fear/misconceptions about safety and legality, making clinicians more supportive, and on how exposure normalizes abortion care and reduces stigma, increasing willingness to provide abortion care.