Dutch doctor Rebecca Gomperts, the vociferous pro-choice voice in the abortion issue, yesterday stumbled over her words when asked whether she ever had to terminate her own pregnancy.

Dr Gomperts, who 10 years ago embarked on a mission to provide abortions at sea for women who had no access to them, had two children in the past three years.

When asked by The Times whether she had ever reached a point in her life when she had to have an abortion, she was clearly uncomfortable answering and her "reply" was unexpectedly punctuated by moments of silence.

"I don't think that... erm... The erm... The reason why I hesitate to answer this question is because by making it... erm... I think I am a woman like all the others. Like I said, 46 million women have an abortion each year, so I don't think that my personal experience in that matter makes a difference," she said.

When it was pointed out that her experience did make a difference, because having gone through both an abortion and motherhood she was in a better position to understand the situation, she failed to agree.

"Well, I don't think so because every individual experience is different. I've had so many women against abortion who came to me because they felt their situation was different," she replied.

"Abortion is a very private decision and, as I said, even those against abortion can experience a moment in their lives where they have no alternative," she added.

Dr Gomperts, in Malta on the invitation of Alpha Liberal Party chairman Emmy Bezzina, has sparked a chorus of vehement disapproval from pro-life campaigners.

The 41-year-old woman, whose activist roots stem from a stint as resident doctor on Greenpeace's boat, is not unfamiliar with controversy.

Before the press conference began at Castille Hotel, Valletta, there was a flurry of activity when Gift of Life Foundation chief executive Paul Vincenti attempted to attend the press conference and was stopped by Dr Bezzina.

Dr Gomperts strode in confidently, completely unaffected by this exchange, looking disarmingly girlish in her navy blue dress and big haversack.

The door was closed to prevent people, other than the media, from attending the press conference, but Mr Vincenti still found a perfect spot where he could listen in.

Through her non-profit-making project Women on Waves, Dr Gomperts is on a pro-choice mission to help women who wish to terminate their pregnancy but lived in countries where abortion was illegal.

She confirmed that a small number of Maltese women had established contact with Women on Waves seeking advice on how to end their unwanted pregnancy.

Her argument is based on World Health Organisation figures, which show that every year 46 million women try to have an abortion, 20 million of these in a country where it was illegal and, as result, one in every 300 women died from an illegal abortion.

Dr Gomperts insisted abortion was the "most safe medical procedure" that existed, safer than giving birth, being injected with penicillin, or using Viagra.

She dismissed the existence of the post-abortion syndrome, insisting that there was a greater risk of women suffering from post-natal depression.

"I know there are some women who regret being in this position. They don't regret the position per se because they would have still done it if faced with the same situation. They regret having to make the decision," she said.

Would she perform an abortion on a 15-year-old?

"For young women it's more dangerous to give birth. I don't think that abortion has an extra risk. Why should a girl of 15 not have the right to the same medical care as a woman of 25?" she said, adding that her organisation would advise the girl to first to speak to her parents or somebody she trusted.

Extrapolating figures from Italy, which like Malta was staunchly Catholic, she estimated that nine per 1,000 Maltese women had an abortion each year.

Her mission was to raise awareness and ensure women were equipped with the right information and knowledge on the available abortion procedures available.

Digging into her haversack, she took out two innocent-looking packets of pills, which she waved in the air. One of the brands is actually readily available in local pharmacies.

These "abortion tablets", she said, were a very safe, effective method, and worked in exactly the same way as inducing a miscarriage.

"Many women do not know of the existence of medical abortion and that's one of my goals in Malta, to make them aware that if they can obtain the medicine they can do it safely themselves in the first nine weeks," she said.

She called on the Maltese government to respect women's decisions.

"Giving birth is one of the most dangerous events in a woman's life. To force a woman to go through pregnancy is forcing her to risk her life," she insisted.

She compared her organisation to Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, an organisation that worked across borders to raise issues were human rights were being violated.

Asked if her perspective had changed since she became a mother, Dr Gomperts said motherhood had made her even more aware of how important it was for people to have a choice.

"It's made my conscience stronger about the immense importance of voluntary motherhood. Every child has a right to be a wanted child," she said.

Asked if she felt her promotion to use the tablets she mentioned was bordering on the illegal, she said it was not her intention to violate the island's law.

The majority of Maltese were very staunch in their pro-life views and the Gift of Life had even proposed amending the Constitution to ensure abortion is never legalised. How come she had not given up on Malta, even though many felt her presence was unwelcome?

"Because I believe... Well, yeah why not give up on Malta? I'm surprised I haven't," she said with a laugh.

"It's because people like Emmy Bezzina and others who are concerned about women's rights and health on the island. Even though the voices of the anti-abortion movement may be stronger, there's always the whispering of those who have a different belief and I feel it's important to support these whispers and ensure they're being heard," she added.

The press conference over, Dr Gomperts and Mr Vincenti came face to face but he immediately held out his hand to dissipate any tense feelings.

"We welcome you. I'm sure you're a great person. I just want to make it clear that our difficulty is with the message you bring, not with you," he told her as the media watched.

"We both believe we want to help women, but our approach is different. We believe there are two people, while you believe there is one. We can bridge that gap; we can really have a relationship, where we can understand each other," he said.

In the aftermath of all this, Castille Hotel general manager Mario Azzopardi was put on the spot by Mr Vincenti, when he was asked whether he had been aware of the nature of the press conference.

Mr Azzopardi said this was merely a business deal, like all others. However, in this case he would be donating any profits from Dr Gomperts' stay to a charitable fund of his choice.