VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Prime minister Robert Abela said the government has no plans to reform Malta’s abortion laws but indicated Cabinet could intervene to reduce the punishment for a woman recently given a suspended prison sentence for terminating her pregnancy.
Abela said he would personally recommend that Cabinet reconsider the penalty if the woman petitions for a review. His remarks followed a court decision handing the woman an 18-month prison sentence suspended for three years after she admitted inducing her own abortion using pills. The case emerged after the woman sought treatment at Mater Dei Hospital in January 2024 with heavy bleeding. Medical staff testified she had taken abortion medication before being admitted. Abela said a custodial sentence—suspended or otherwise—was not an appropriate penalty given the circumstances women face. “As long as I am prime minister, no woman will be given a prison sentence for this offence”, he said, adding that alternative punishments such as community service, conditional discharge or probation already exist in law. He stressed that his proposal does not amount to decriminalising abortion but could involve the use of the president’s constitutional power of mercy to substitute a less severe punishment. The prime minister also warned that fear of prosecution could discourage women from seeking medical care after taking abortion pills. “We cannot have a prospective mother lose her life because she does not go for medical help fearing she will end up behind bars” he said.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
