Earlier today, a judicial protest document signed by 135 doctors was presented in court, seeking to change the country’s position on the current blanket ban on abortion.

Following the recent case of Andrea Prudente, the pregnant woman who had to be airlifted to Spain to terminate her pregnancy, the 135 doctors signed and presented the document to Maltese court. In light of this presentation, the organisation Doctors for Life stated that the doctors signing the concerned judicial protest had no access to it before signing.

Gynaecologist Isabel Stabile, who filed the protest, stated that most women living in Malta do not have insurance coverage to assist them in evacuation to get treatment, arguing that Maltese laws neglect women and risk their lives needlessly.

The judicial protest argues that criminalisation not only puts the lives of women in danger but also impacts mental health, which is a break of women’s right to life and health. It touches upon a number of other issues such as the prohibition of doctors from providing necessary care in pregnancy cases with complications, hindering them from adhering to international standards.

The 38-year-old American had to be airlifted to Spain after being denied the procedure in Malta; As it stands, Malta remains the only EU country with a blanket ban on abortion. The judicial protest calls for the removal of Article 243 from Chapter 9, which abolishes criminalisation of such an act. Article 241 of the criminal code also stipulates that the individual or professional who causes a miscarriage, with or without a woman’s consent, may be liable to prison sentences of between 18 months and 3 years.

What do you make of this?

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