New amendments to a so-called abortion bill are dangerous and will lead to vulnerable pregnant people being left "permanently disabled or dead", the Voice for Choice coalition said on Friday.

The revised wording is a "betrayal" of pregnant woman, it said, adding: "the government is effectively saying that women should only be protected if they are going to die."

In a statement following a news conference by Health Minister Chris Fearne announcing changes to the Bill, the coalition said that although the debate was a major breakthrough in Malta and allowed people to view abortion as the necessary medical procedure that it is, the revised version of the Bill is "a step in the wrong direction". 

The coalition brings together a number of civil society groups and activists who want Malta's anti-abortion laws reformed, from academics to doctors, students and pensioners. 

Fearne unveiled the new wording of the Bill on Friday morning. The changes propose only allowing a pregnancy to be terminated if a mother’s life is at immediate risk or her health is "in grave jeopardy which may lead to her death", further clarifying that termination may only take place once all other treatment has been exhausted. Terminations will not be allowed if doctors believe the foetus can live outside of the womb and three doctors will need to sign off on the intervention.

The changes have been welcomed by pro-life activists. Coalition for Life endorsed the changes, saying these came as a result of thousands of people taking up the issue with the Prime Minister and other MPs through letter-writing and demonstrations. 

The government has said that it wants to revise the law to plug a legislative gap which means doctors currently operate in a legal vacuum, with no protection from prosecution if they end a pregnancy to save a woman's life. 

But the Voice for Choice Coalition believes the revised wording unveiled on Friday is even worse than that lack of clarity. 

Why is the coalition opposed to the changes?

Requiring three specialist doctors to sign off on a termination when a woman's heath is in grave danger is unworkable and dangerous, the coalition said in a statement. 

"Even if the revised Bill 28 still allows doctors to terminate a pregnancy that is causing a risk to life without the authorisation of additional specialists, it is highly likely that doctors will seek authorisation in all cases due to fear of prosecution, leading to a chilling factor.

"This would be a step backward from the status quo of simply not enforcing the law in hospitals and may lead to pregnant persons facing even longer delays and barriers to treatment than they do now."

It said that, to make matters worse, the only situation when professionals are allowed to act is when the woman has a condition that will lead to death.

"This means that pregnant persons could have to endure any kind of life-changing condition or disability. The government is effectively saying that women should only be protected if they are going to die," it said.

The coalition insisted that has significant consequences and goes against the government’s actions to protect women against violence, even contradicting them.

The original Bill, it said, was a step in the right direction even though it had not gone far enough by international standards and would still have been the most restrictive law in the EU.

But the new amendment was "a major setback and a betrayal of pregnant women and persons in Malta".

The coalition said it was withdrawing its support for the Bill and called on the  government to put it on pause and engage in more consultations "to avoid making a historic mistake".

"We will not be deterred from pushing for change. In fact, in face of such betrayal, we promise to keep fighting more passionately and determinedly for the protection of women and pregnant persons in Malta until abortion is decriminalised and accessible," it said.

The coalition is made up of Academics for Choice, Aditus Foundation, Doctors for Choice, Grandparents for Choice (Nanniet għall-Għażla), Integra Foundation, Lawyers for Choice, Moviment Graffitti, Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement, Malta Humanist Association, Men Against Violence, Parents for Choice, Students for Choice, Women’s Rights Foundation, and Young Progressive Beings.