De jure abortions in Malta are illegal. Malta is the only country in the European Union in which abortion is completely prohibited. [1] However, as in other European countries, the actual situation differs from the exact letter of the law.
The penal code reads:
"(1) Anyone who, by any means of food, drink, by medical means, or by violence, or by any other means, will miscarry any woman with a child, with or without the consent of the woman, must, in the case of a guilty plea, bear liability in the form of imprisonment for a period of 18 months to three years "; and
"(2) The same penalty shall be awarded to any woman who makes a miscarriage, or who would consent to the use of the means by which a miscarriage is carried out."
If a woman’s life is at risk due to pregnancy, abortion procedures can be performed on Maltese territory without consequences. This also happens in cases of incest and rape. In a recent case, for example, the police department was notified by Mater Dei Hospital employees that a gynecologist and a university professor had a chemical abortion to prevent the mother from recurring cancer, which could have been caused by hormonal changes common in pregnancy. No action was taken by the police department in this case. The police department retains the legal ability to indict criminal offenses as they see fit.
, a Maltese politician, sought to make a constitutional amendment completely prohibiting abortion , but this was not implemented.
Links
- ↑ Malta now only EU country without life-saving abortion law . Malta Independent. Date of treatment September 6, 2014.