Abortion in Malta

"[12] In 2005, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg (a member of the Nationalist Party) sought to amend the Constitution of Malta to include a prohibition on abortion.

[13] As it stands, the Constitution states, in article 33(1) that no person shall intentionally be deprived of his life "save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence under the law of Malta of which he has been convicted.

The charter outlines recommendations and roles for parents, government, the medical profession, the media, the alcohol and tobacco sectors, employers and managers, children's social services to protect life before and after birth.

In November 2022, Health Minister Chris Fearne, from the Labour Party, presented the Criminal Code (Amendment No.

[21] A group of 80 physicians, lawyers, ethicists and academics in the Inti Tista' Ssalvani (You can save me) coalition proposed a more limited expert clause, which would have changed the exception for abortion in the Bill to situations where "the death or bodily harm of an unborn child results from a medical intervention conducted with the aim of saving the life of the mother where there is a real and substantial risk of loss of the mother's life from a physical illness.

"[22] Around 20,000 people, around 4% of the island's total population, protested outside Parliament against the Bill in December 2022 and were addressed by former President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.

After several months of consultation, the Labour Government introduced Article 243B to clarify the law, stating that "peace of mind is given that the necessary procedures are in place with the aim of excluding the possibility of any abuse from this important change.”[28] Based on comments from doctors with whom he has spoken about the issue, Carmel Cacopardo estimated in 2018 that between 300 and 400 Maltese women travelled abroad to have abortions each year, mostly to Great Britain (about 60 per year) and Italy, but also to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.