Maltese lawmakers vote to legalize abortion, but only where the mother is at risk of death

BY KEVIN SCHEMBRI ORLAND, ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 28, 2023

VALLETTA, Malta — Maltese lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation to ease the strictest abortion laws in the European Union, but pro-choice campaigners had withdrawn their support, saying last-minute changes make the legislation “vague, unworkable and even dangerous.”

The original bill allowing women access to abortion if a pregnant woman’s life or health is in danger was hailed as a step in the right direction for Malta, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation. It was introduced last fall after an American tourist who miscarried had to be airlifted off the Mediterranean island nation to be treated.

Continued: https://apnews.com/article/malta-abortion-rights-a5cf505917178cde19adf292ce43ce7c