Watch: ‘This Won’t Stop Here’ – Pro-Choice Activists Warn ‘Whole World Is Watching’ At Valletta Abortion Protest
Pro-choice activists gathered in Valletta today for an impromptu demonstration in front of Valletta’s Parliament House, warning “the whole world is watching” the island as a shocking miscarriage situation unfolds at the Mater Dei Hospital.
“This is already on international media and will by tonight be on all the major international TV stations,” pro-choice activist Dr Andrea Dibben from the Women’s Rights Foundation told the gathered crowd this afternoon.
“The European Parliament knows about this. The Council of Europe knows about this. And we won’t stop or let this woman continue suffering.”
Yesterday evening, Doctors For Choice Malta shared the tragic story of a 16-week pregnant American woman who suffered severe problems while holidaying in Malta, having to be hospitalised and be told that while doctors can hear a heartbeat, there’s “basically no hope” for her baby.
The couple, 38-year-old Andrea Prudente and her partner 45-year-old Jay Weeldreyer, have been in Mater Dei Hospital for around a week after being informed that the pregnancy will not be a success. Prudente was 16 weeks pregnant.
However, since Prudente is also COVID-19 positive, the challenges to access her have been even greater than usual, Dibben pointed out.
The case of the US couple has been reported widely across Maltese national media – and has even made it to the UK’s The Guardian.
Since a foetal heartbeat is still being detected, and Maltese doctors say Prudente’s life is not at risk, they are not signing off on papers that would allow her to travel abroad under medical evacuation to have an abortion performed.
A medical certificate would be needed for such a flight – and to make matters worse, the couple were told they shouldn’t board commercial flights as the air pressure itself may induce labour and complications and even be fatal.
“We are stuck… we chose Malta because it was safe and had good health care and now we are held hostage to this situation,” Weeldreyer told Times of Malta. “We came to Malta on a babymoon. We certainly did not come for an abortion but here we are talking about saving a woman’s life.”
Weeldryer said that hearing the heartbeat gives him hope, but that the current situation was an “obstacle” to his partner’s survival.
“We wanted this baby. On the one hand hearing the heartbeat comes with hope that we will be able to hold our baby girl. But that heartbeat is also an obstacle to my partner’s health,” he said.
“My partner is physically stable. But all this is very challenging on our mental health. She has been getting antibiotic shots to avoid infection, her blood is checked regularly. But the most cruel part is the regular ultrasounds where we keep hearing our baby’s heartbeat. It’s emotionally distressing,” Weeldreyer says.
The couple wanted to travel after two years of no trips abroad due to the ongoing pandemic; however, now they are at wit’s end as to what to do.
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