Enforcing Complete Ban On Abortions, Malta Court Charges Woman For Having One

In a rare instance the nation of Malta, Europe, enforcing its complete ban on abortions, charged a woman for having one at home.

According to the Women's Rights Foundation of Malta, what should have never happened today did: a Maltese woman was taken before a judge on allegations of performing a medical abortion at home.

Without providing more information, it said that the anonymous woman had received assistance from its legal team throughout the proceedings "and she was let go with a conditional discharge". The organisation claimed that although she had been handled with respect and dignity, "this should have never, ever happened in the first place."

Malta: Woman Charged For Abortion In Court

According to Dr Natalie Psaila of the advocacy and support group Doctors for Choice Malta, the woman called its hotline to ask for assistance in obtaining a lawyer. But she claimed that because Thursday's case was heard in secret, she didn't have many details about what happened after that.

Doctors for Choice Malta said on Facebook that a woman shouldn't ever face charges for "terminating" her own pregnancy. She urged to "decriminalise" abortion as soon as possible.

Catholic-majority Abortion is absolutely prohibited in Malta, the only EU member state. The country's parliament is now contemplating a draught bill that would permit an abortion if the mother's life or health were in grave danger. However, there are indications of public support, especially among young people, despite resistance from the Catholic Church and the main opposition party.

The Labour government of Robert Abela insisted that its suggested amendment to the law was not an "abortion reform" but rather a step to ensure that medical professionals may carry out their duties without fear.

Any medical professional who performs an abortion in any situation would reportedly be breaking the law under the current ban, despite media assertions that no one has ever been charged.

According to a May 2021 report in The Times of Malta, no one had ever been charged with a crime in Malta for seeking an abortion or giving the means to end a pregnancy in the previous five years.

Between 2015 and 2020, three people were the subject of investigations for purported abortions, but they were not charged, it stated. Three women had been found guilty since 2000, the latest in 2006, but none had been imprisoned.

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