Abortion: Amendment to ensure women's health clause not abused to be introduced

The government is willing to introduce amendments to ensure that the concept of allowing abortion when a woman’s health is in grave danger is not abused, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday.

Interviewed on One, Abela said the government was also willing to make it clearer that birth has to be given whenever the foetus is viable and has a chance to live.

It was also willing to make it clearer that pregnancies should go ahead even if the mother’s health was in grave danger if this was what the mother wanted.

However, it would not allow any amendments eliminating the principle of allowing the termination of a pregnancy when and if a woman’s health was in grave danger.

Parliament is currently debating an amendment to the criminal code that will free doctors and pregnant women from the threat of criminal prosecution if a pregnancy is terminated to protect a woman "suffering from a medical complication which may put her life at risk or her health in grave jeopardy".

The proposal has sparked a national debate, with critics saying the government is trying to introduce abortion by stealth and proponents saying the changes are needed to ensure legal certainty. 

“We cannot remain...