A national protest against the introduction of abortion is being held on December 4 by the Life Network Foundation in collaboration with Doctors for Life and I See Life.

The protest will start from in front of Castille Square, Valletta at 3pm.

In a statement, the organisers referred to the legislative amendments presented by the government to articles 241 and 243 of the Criminal Code, saying that, as proposed, these amendments open the door for the introduction of abortion in Malta.

The government says the aim of the amendments is to provide more legal certainty for doctors who terminate a pregnancy when a woman’s life or health is a serious risk. 

But the protest organisers argued that if the amendments become law, abortion will be allowed for any reason, because it “may” affect the mother’s health, including mental health.

In the UK, one abortion happens every three minutes for “mental health” reasons, they insisted as they invited "all the people of good will" to join the protest and send "a clear message" to the government that it does not have a mandate to introduce abortion, even less so by stealth.

"Now is the time to stand up and be counted," the organisers said.