18-Year-Old Pregnant Woman Denied Abortion After Cancer Diagnosis And Forced To Wait Months For Chemo In Malta
An 18-year-old pregnant Maltese woman was denied an abortion after being diagnosed with cancer three months into her pregnancy.
The experience was shared by local NGO Doctors For Choice, as they continue sharing real-life stories of women’s health struggles under a total abortion ban.
Many women have been coming forward to shed light on their experiences, as the ongoing national debate on amendments to the abortion law continues.
“I hope no one passes through this, but this happened recently. An 18-year-old woman got pregnant and after three months was diagnosed with cancer, and they couldn’t terminate her pregnancy in order to start chemo,” they said.
“They made her wait months to start her chemo, until she gave birth, and now there is no chance of curing her cancer.”
“It’s very easy for people to comment when they have not passed through such an experience.”
In the wake of this, other women recounted similar stories, with one saying that she had to do a pregnancy test before every chemo session when she was battling cancer.
Another experience that was recently shared by the NGO was about a woman who was told that her baby wouldn’t live more than a few hours after it was born.
She was pregnant with a baby that she wanted very much, but a defect was found during the anomaly scan. Nonetheless, she was forced to carry it to term.
“Can any of these people imagine the trauma and pain of knowing you are a walking coffin? People congratulating you, asking when you’re due, only to know your baby will suffer and die within a few short hours.”
“I can’t think of anything crueler to put someone through all that for the sake of piety.”
Yesterday, thousands gathered in Valletta to protest against the proposed abortion bill, warning that it could legalise abortion by stealth.
Life Network Foundation, which organised the protest, estimated the turnout at around 20,000 people, which would make it one of the largest protests in recent Maltese history.
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