Fearne expects abortion bill amendments to pass before summer

The amendments to the blanket abortion ban of Malta are expected to go through all parliamentary stages before the summer recess, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Thursday.

“Before going to committee stage, we had agreed to listen to everybody. We organised a series of extensive meetings, which are now concluded,” Fearne said.

The government proposed an amendment to the Criminal Code to allow for abortions when the woman’s life and health is at stake. In December the bill passed a second reading with all 42 Labour MPs voting in favour and 34 Nationalist MPs voting against.

The government then revised the same amendments following “extensive meetings” with stakeholders. In comments to the press, Fearne said these reviews are being finalised and soon the amendments will go to committee stage.

A review of abortion legislation in the country was ordered in June 2022 after American tourist Andrea Prudente had to be airlifted to Spain to receive a termination of an unviable pregnancy. 

Prudente broke her waters at 16 weeks and although doctors at Mater Dei Hospital told her the pregnancy was not viable they could not carry out an abortion because the foetus still had a heartbeat. Prudente was being treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of contracting sepsis, a blood infection, that could have put her life in danger.

The American woman’s case laid bare Malta’s strict anti-abortion law that prevented doctors from ending her pregnancy despite the risk of developing sepsis.