The government of Malta wants to at least relax the strict ban on abortion. A law has been introduced to parliament that would allow girls and women to have abortions only if their lives are endangered by the pregnancy and no other form of treatment is available.
Three experts must agree with such an intervention in a recognized hospital. If the doctors conclude that the baby would be viable outside the womb, it should not be aborted. Health Minister Chris Fearne and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard announced this on Friday in the smallest EU country.
When the government proposed in late 2022 to allow abortion if there was a “serious threat” to a woman’s life or health, it sparked violent protests from abortion opponents, many from politics and the Catholic Church, who is influential in Malta. They argued that the wording was too vague. President George Vella then announced that he would not sign the law. The government has therefore revised it again.
Still illegal if raped
Abortions remain illegal in cases of rape, incest or severe fetal illness. Malta has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. Doctors have already performed abortions when the woman’s life was in danger, but were just as punishable as the pregnant woman. To create clarity, such scenarios should now be clearly regulated by law.
Liberal groups have accused the government of giving in to pressure from critics. Opponents of abortion, on the other hand, were satisfied. The law is expected to be passed in the fall.
Source: Krone
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