Voice for Choice calls on MPs to legislate after woman sentenced over abortion

The pro-choice coalition Voice for Choice is demanding immediate legislative action to decriminalise abortion following the court sentencing of a 28-year-old woman to a suspended prison term for terminating her pregnancy.

In a statement, the coalition criticised what it described as a healthcare system that punishes rather than protects women, calling the ruling a chilling demonstration of the harm inflicted by current laws.

The coalition welcomed public expressions of disagreement with the sentence by several Labour MPs, including Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rebecca Buttigieg and MPs Ramona Attard and Rosianne Cutajar, who stated that women should not be afraid to seek medical assistance.

While acknowledging these statements as a positive step, Voice for Choice made it clear that words are not enough. “As activists, this is as far as we can go, but Members of Parliament – our representatives – can take it a step further,” the statement said.

The coalition said that the problem lies not with the courts, the police, or healthcare professionals, but with the law itself. “Yesterday’s judgment was the direct application of the law as it currently stands,” the group noted. “The fault lies squarely with the law, which can be changed by our representatives.”

Voice for Choice called for the urgent decriminalisation of abortion, describing it not as a moral issue but as essential healthcare. The coalition warned that until such changes are made, “anyone in power who claims to care whilst refusing to legislate is complicit in this harm.”