Valletta, Jun. 23, (dpa/GNA) – Malta’s government has watered down proposed changes to its strict anti-abortion laws, following pressure from campaigners, the Catholic church and even the country’s president.
The new proposal states that abortions will only be allowed if a woman’s life is at risk and only once all other possible treatments have been exhausted.
It also states that terminations must be approved by three specialist doctors and carried out in licensed clinics. No abortions will be permitted if doctors believe a baby can live outside the womb.
The changes do away with an initial plan to allow terminations in cases where a woman’s health was at risk – something critics said opened the door to abortions at will.
Instead, for a termination to be permitted, a woman will have to demonstrate that her health is in “grave jeopardy which may risk death” and doctors must certify that the foetus cannot survive outside the womb.
Malta has among the strictest abortion laws in the world. Abortion will remain illegal under all other circumstances including rape, incest and severe foetal abnormalities.
The proposed changes must be approved by parliament before becoming law. Given the Labour government’s strong majority, that step is considered a formality.
An initial draft of the law, presented late last year, sparked uproar in conservative Malta and drew tens of thousands to the streets in protest, including a former president.
Malta’s current president, George Vella, had also made it clear he would refuse to sign the bill into law.
Faced with that pressure, the government paused its plan to pass the new law, consulted stakeholders and drafted the revised changes presented on Friday.
The changes drew varying reactions. Pro-life groups endorsed the changes, saying they will ensure abortion remains illegal in Malta.
Pro-choice groups, on the other hand, slammed the changes as regressive and accused the government of caving in to pressure.
GNA