ADPD believes ‘half-baked’ abortion law changes should go further

ADPD wants abortion to be available in the case of other extraordinary circumstances like rape, incest and where the pregnancy is not viable

ADPD supports the legal amendments put forward by the government but believes they should go further
ADPD supports the legal amendments put forward by the government but believes they should go further

ADPD supports the proposed changes to allow an abortion to take place if a woman’s life or health are at risk but believes they should go further.

ADPD said the proposals put forward by the government are “half-baked” and fail to address current realities although they are “a step in the right direction”.

The Green Party wants abortion to be available in the case of other extraordinary circumstances such rape, incest and where the pregnancy is not viable.

“These proposals should be considered as a substantial improvement on those presented in parliament this week,” ADPD said.

Health Minister Chris Fearne and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard have tabled in parliament the First Reading of an amendment to the Criminal Code that makes it possible for doctors to carry out an abortion if the woman’s life and health are in danger. The amendment clarifies that neither doctors nor the woman would be criminally liable if an abortion is carried out in these circumstances.

The government move came in the wake of the Andrea Prudente case earlier this year. Prudente, an American tourist on holiday in Malta, started miscarrying and despite doctors telling her the pregnancy was no longer viable would not carry out an abortion because the foetus still registered a heartbeat. The decision not to abort put her at serious risk of developing sepsis.

She was eventually flown out of Malta and terminated her pregnancy in Spain.

ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said the proposal presented by government does not offer the opportunity for a mature discussion in the country.

He said many Maltese women resort to abortion every year through the purchase of pills online, which they self-administer without a doctor’s consultation.

Cacopardo said the amendment proposed by government gives legal clarity to the principle that has been practiced, which seeks to safeguard a woman’s life but called for legislation to be updated to reflect the progress that has taken place in the medical and scientific fields.

“A mature debate should consider how the circumstances that would permit medical intervention to safeguard the life and health of the mother are defined in the clearest manner possible,” Cacopardo said.

ADPD Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci said women who resort to an abortion require empathy, rather than being considered as criminals.

“Within this context, we have campaigned for decriminalisation to enable women considering an abortion to seek assistance. Together with a stronger emphasis on sexual and reproductive health education across all levels of the education system, the discussion about abortion should reflect the ethical pluralism that we now have in our country which has led to the introduction of divorce, IVF as well as the recognition of LGBTIQ rights that ADPD has been insisting upon since its inception,” Gauci said.