[WATCH] Abortion rights activists hold Valletta protest, calling for decriminalisation

A 16-week pregnant American woman was not allowed to terminate her pregnancy in Malta, even though she is suffering a miscarriage and the fetus will not survive

22 June 2022, 5:41pm
by Luke Vella / Maya Dimitrijevic

2 min read

Abortion activists hold a protest in the wake of a story of an American woman who was refused an abortion even though her fetus has a zero chance of survival (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

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Abortion right activists called for abortion to be decriminalised in Malta in the wake of a story that a 16-week pregnant American woman, who is suffering a miscarriage, had her request to terminate her pregnancy turned down in Malta.

The NGO Young Progressive Beings held a protest outside of parliament on Wednesday afternoon, in which they demanded that no woman is sent to prison for having an abortion, and for abortion to not be politicised and be treated as a medical procedure.

It said that the American woman's pregnancy was not viable, even though the fetus still had a heartbeat. The ultrasound showed ruptured membranes (broken waters) and a detaching placenta.

“As per International Obstetrics Guidelines, the pregnancy is no longer viable, and termination is recommended to reduce the risk of maternal infection and also death.”

The activists said that the doctors at Mater Dei said they would only terminate the pregnancy if the life of the woman was in imminent danger. “The woman and her family are being forced to watch and wait at Mater Dei, until she’s on the brink of dying.”

They said that decisions regarding women's bodies should not be dictated by cisgender male politicians or by the clergy.

"Regardless of whether the woman in question is airlifted to the United Kingdom, we believe it is of utmost importance to protest against the unnecessary & dangerous process caused by Malta’s criminalisation of abortion,” YBP said.

It said that this case also sheds light on the experiences of multiple women who went through a similar ordeal, but did not have the opportunity to seek medical healthcare outside of Malta.

"Punishing women for enacting their right to choose, whether or not their life is at risk, is both hypocritical and inhumane. Women in Malta have been forced to turn to unsafe methods, had their mental health suffer unnecessarily, risked their physical health, and been forced to go through cruel obstacles to simply access a medical procedure," they said.

The activists said there was nothing "pro-life” about sending women to their death bed over their human right to bodily autonomy.

"A foetal heartbeat should not trump the life and health of a fully actualised person: what about the beating heart of women?"

Luke Vella joined MaltaToday as a reporter in 2021