VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Prime Minister Robert Abela has said no woman will go to prison for abortion while he remains in office, pledging to use his constitutional prerogative to prevent custodial sentences.
Abela said he does not believe women should be imprisoned for having an abortion, even though the procedure remains illegal in Malta.
“If a woman is given a prison sentence, I would feel comfortable exercising my prerogative to ask Cabinet to reconsider the sentence,” Abela said, adding he would favour a conditional discharge over imprisonment.
Under the Constitution, the President of Malta, acting on Cabinet’s advice, can substitute a court-imposed punishment with a less severe one.
Abela’s commitment, however, remains personal and does not alter Malta’s strict abortion laws, under which women and doctors can still face prison.
He confirmed that abortion will not feature in the Labour Party’s next electoral manifesto, signalling no push for a popular mandate on reform.
The prime minister said attitudes are shifting, particularly after recent court cases involving women charged over abortion.
In July 2025, a woman who bought abortion pills online received a 22-month prison sentence suspended for two years. In 2023, another woman was granted a conditional discharge after a medical abortion at home.
Abela said the real test would come if a woman were handed an effective prison term, insisting such an outcome would be unacceptable.
Malta allows abortion only when a woman’s life is at risk and with approval from three specialists, making its law the second most restrictive in Europe.
While only five abortions were carried out legally between 2023 and 2025, hundreds of women are believed to self-administer abortion pills each year, often in secrecy and fear of prosecution.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
