The Malta Women’s Lobby said that it was deeply concerned by the recent court case where a 28-year-old woman was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, “after she was reported to the police by a medical professional for having a medical abortion. This case sets a dangerous and inhumane precedent-one that has no place in a modern society that claims to care for its people.”
“Let us be clear: no woman should ever be criminalised-especially when she seeks medical help. For example, although drug taking is illegal, when a person with a drug addiction turns to a doctor for support, they are treated with care and compassion, and not threatened with imprisonment. They are not reported to the authorities but offered support for their recovery. So why is this not the case, when a woman seeks medical assistance after an abortion?”
“This is a clear case of two weights and two measures, and it is costing women their dignity, their safety and, potentially, their lives. This sentencing has exposed the terrifying consequences of current law, where women experiencing a medical emergency are made to choose between seeking life-saving care or risking arrest. This is not justice. This is persecution.”
“Worse still, we are sending a clear message to all women in Malta: if you are bleeding, in pain, or suffering after taking abortion pills-do not go to the hospital, or you risk being jailed. This is not only unethical, but it is dangerous. It places women’s lives at risk. Trust in medical care must never be weaponised. We therefore call for urgent legislative reform to protect women from prosecution when seeking post-abortion medical care.”
|Specifically, the Malta Women’s Lobby highlights the following points: 1) While supporting the Minister for Health’s proposal to amend the Professional Secrecy Act to ensure that medical professionals, lawyers, and other trusted individuals cannot report women who seek help after an abortion, we argue that it is does not go far enough because it doesn’t cover ancillary and non-professional hospital staff. Moreover, the proposed change in the Secrecy Act will have absolutely no impact on the possibility that any interested party, such as a partner, or ex-partner, would still file a report. 2) The MWL strongly recommends the establishment of an independent, government-funded support service where women can access clear, unbiased information, counselling, and guidance about pregnancy options-including abortion-without fear, shame, or legal consequences. 3) The MWL calls for greater focus on serious and systemic crimes, including violence against women, which too often go unreported and are often treated with disturbing leniency. The resources of our justice system should be used to protect women-not persecute and prosecute them for choices made possibly in desperation or after some trauma, like in the case of rape; 4) Finally, we call on all parliamentarians to join forces to amend this law so that it can receive support from all political parties.”