Recently an exception has been introduced, if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk, an abortion can occur if it is approved by three different doctors. But according to Engerer there is no official data indicating how many women have been permitted.

Since abortion remains illegal in Malta, openly discussing personal experiences at protests is usually common in countries like the United States, but here in Malta it remains a challenge. However, activists still take to the streets every year on 28th September to demand abortion access.

Public outcry also intensified following the case of Andrea Prudente, a 38-year-old American who was on holiday in Malta in 2022. At 16 weeks pregnant, she experienced a ruptured membrane and was denied an abortion despite the severe risks to her health. Unable to receive the necessary medical care in Malta, she was forced to travel to Spain, where she terminated her pregnancy there.

According to Engerer women request nearly 500 abortion pills each year, and if they want to terminate their pregnancy they usually fly to London or the Netherlands.

Engerer also criticised politicians on their stance on Abortion. The Nationalist Party remains firmly opposed to abortion, while the Labour Party—of which Engerer was once a member—officially takes an anti-abortion stance, despite significant support for reproductive rights within its ranks. In response, he co-founded a new pro-choice party, Il-Progressivi.

Labour politicians initially proposed legal amendments to permit abortion in cases where the mother’s physical or mental health was at risk. However, on the eve of the vote, party leaders unexpectedly watered down the proposal, significantly limiting its scope.

“That led to a huge demotivation in the pro-choice campaign, which felt cheated, totally cheated, because they had been in discussions for months with governments to find the best kind of law that would protect women, at least when it comes to health issues and mental health issues,” Engerer said.

“And then all of a sudden, while putting up a face for the government for that bill, then changing it the night before to something which has put the reality backward.” he concluded.

With the question if Malta should, make abortion legal. Let’s not forget that 61.8% of the Maltese population is totally against abortion. This is largely attributed to the fact that 90% of the Maltese population is deeply religious.

Is it time that Malta brings its laws in line with the rest of the EU?