Malta to weigh abortion-ban exception

Malta on Wednesday moved to loosen its strictest-in-Europe abortion ban, with its government saying it would propose legal changes that would enable the procedure if a pregnant person’s health is at serious risk.

The changes, which will be put before parliament next week, come as the tiny island country’s policies faced scrutiny after an American tourist — 16 weeks pregnant — started bleeding profusely, suffering an incomplete miscarriage with a life-threatening risk. When Maltese doctors wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy, the woman, Andrea Prudente, had to be airlifted hundreds of miles to Spain.

Malta, the smallest member of the European Union, has until now maintained the lone total abortion ban in the bloc, including in cases of incest and rape, as well as when the pregnant person’s health is at risk. In theory, people can face jail time for having an abortion, though prosecutions have been exceedingly rare.

The country south of Italy’s island of Sicily is predominantly Catholic, and in some ways it has become highly secular: Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2017, and it draws high grades for LGBT rights. But abortion has remained a highly contested issue.

At a news conference Wednesday, officials acknowledged problems with the existing laws, where the criminal code leaves both doctors and women theoretically vulnerable to imprisonment. Malta’s health minister, Chris Fearne, said new amendments would clear the way for the procedure — without legal risk — if the women’s health is at risk.