[WATCH] Rebecca Buttigieg speaks out against criminal charges for woman convicted of abortion

Parliamentary secretary for reforms Rebecca Buttigieg has expressed her discomfort regarding a case of a woman recently convicted of having an abortion.

Echoing the Prime Minister’s statement earlier this month, Buttigieg claimed that “what we said would never happen has happened.”

Buttigieg was replying to a MaltaToday question regarding the indictment and conviction of a woman over abortion a week ago. NGO Voice for Choice had revealed the arraignment was handed down a conditional discharge for carrying out an abortion at her own personal residence.

Rebecca Buttigieg also noted her surprise at the silence from human rights NGOs following the case, stating that there has been no major reaction following the sentence.

She described the details of the case as “shocking”, noting that the young woman in question was in an abusive relationship, and that her partner was responsible for reporting her abortion to the authorities.

“I look forward to be able to give support to people who are in these situations, while we ensure that these people are not criminally charged,” Buttigieg stated.