Malta Women's Lobby calls for urgent reform of 'inhumane' abortion law
'This is not justice, this is persecution'
The Malta Women’s Lobby on Friday called for “urgent legislative reform” in the wake of the prosecution and sentencing of a woman who sought medical assistance after taking abortion pills.
The lobby insisted that the Health Minister’s proposed amendments to the Secrecy Act would not go far enough to make any impact as any interested party could still file a report against any woman.
On Thursday, a 28-year old woman was handed a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to having an abortion. She had sought medical assistance at Mater Dei Hospital.
It said that the court case, which has received extensive backlash and criticism from a number of Labour MPs, “sets a dangerous and inhumane precedent” and exposed the “terrifying consequences” of the current law where women experiencing a medical emergency are made to choose between seeking life-saving care or risking arrest.
“This is not justice. This is persecution,” they said, adding that the current law was “not only unethical but dangerous” as it placed women’s lives at risk.
“Trust in medical care must never be weaponised. No woman should ever be criminalised especially when she seeks medical help,” the Lobby added.
They recommended an independent, government-funded support service should be set up to give women access to clear, unbiased information and counselling about pregnancy options, including abortion.
They also called for a “greater focus on serious and systemic crimes, including violence against women” and urged all parliamentarians from both sides of the House to join forces to amend the law.
“This is a turning point. Malta can either remain trapped in a medieval system that punishes women for seeking help—or rise to a higher standard of care, compassion, and justice,” the Malta Women’s Lobby said.