An American tourist who developed serious pregnancy problems while on holiday in Malta is set to be airlifted to Spain to terminate her pregnancy. 

Women’s Rights Foundation activist Lara Dimitrijevic confirmed that Andrea Prudente will be flown to a hospital in Spain after receiving the go-ahead from her insurance firm, which deemed the situation to be a matter of life and death, TVM reported.

Prudente, who was 16 weeks pregnant, suffered serious medical problems while on holiday in Malta and was told by doctors that her placenta had become partially detached and there was “zero chance” her pregnancy would be a success.

She said Malta’s medical staff advised her that her only options were to wait for the foetus’s heartbeat to stop or for her to develop an infection, after which they could terminate the pregnancy.

Prudente’s story has captured the attention of the international media, placing a spotlight on Malta, which has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world.