New proposals regulating access to abortion in Malta have been presented.

The new proposals were announced by Health Minister Chris Fearne in a press conference today.

“I think today, we all agree that if a woman is going to lose her life, we need to save her,” Fearne said. “And we need to legislate for this.”

The new regulations will allow women whose health is at grave risk to access abortion in Malta under a number of conditions, such as having approval from three different doctors, consultants or specialists.

The three doctors must include one doctor that specialises in the health condition the woman is facing.

Abortion can be accessed in any hospital in Malta that has official approval – not just state hospitals like Mater Dei.

A cut-off period has yet to be confirmed.

The proposal states:

“No offence under the sub-article (2) of article 243 shall be committed when the cessation of a pregnancy or damage to the foetus results from a medical intervention carried out for the purpose of saving the life and protecting the health of a pregnant woman suffering from a medical complication which may put her life at immediate risk or her health in grave jeopardy which can lead to death.”

“In the case of a pregnant woman suffering from a medical complication which may put her life at immediate risk the medical intervention is done when in the reasonable opinion of the medical practitioner carrying out the intervention the foetus has not reached the period of viability; in the case of a medical intervention carried out due to a medical complication which places the health of a pregnant woman in grave jeopardy which may lead to death; that in the reasonable opinion of the medical team the foetus has not reached the period of viability and cannot be delivered according to the standards of the medical profession. “