Over the past decade, Malta’s police have received seven reports related to abortion, with the majority—four of them—originating from doctors at Mater Dei Hospital. The remaining cases were reported either by a partner or a family member. While specific details regarding these reports remain undisclosed, there has been growing concern that Malta’s strict laws discourage women from seeking medical help after undergoing the procedure, fearing potential legal consequences.
Malta maintains some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, prohibiting the procedure in all circumstances except when it is necessary to save a woman’s life. However, official statistics do not fully reflect the reality of abortion access in the country. Many women who seek to terminate a pregnancy do so outside of Malta’s jurisdiction by traveling abroad or by ordering abortion pills online, circumventing the legal barriers that exist domestically.
According to police data, two abortion-related reports were filed in 2014, followed by a single report in 2017. The number of reports increased in the past two years, with two cases recorded in 2023 and another two in 2024. Of these cases, legal action was not pursued in two instances, while three resulted in court judgments. Two cases are still pending resolution. Despite the country’s strict laws, no woman has been imprisoned for undergoing an abortion in over 25 years. The most recent case involving an individual charged with abortion occurred in 2023, when the court issued a conditional discharge for three years rather than imposing a prison sentence.
Despite the legal restrictions, new data from the advocacy group Doctors for Choice suggest that access to abortion medication is increasing. Their latest figures reveal that nearly 600 shipments of pills were sent to Malta in the past year alone, reflecting a 14% rise compared to previous years. This trend highlights how women are finding ways to access abortion services despite the legal prohibitions in place.
Gynecologist Isabel Stabile, who works with Doctors for Choice, has emphasized that criminalizing abortion has failed to deter women from seeking the procedure. Instead, she argues, it forces them into unsafe or uncertain circumstances. She insists that individuals who have undergone an abortion should be able to access medical care without fear of prosecution.
The ongoing debate over Malta’s abortion laws continues to be a contentious issue, with campaigners urging policymakers to reconsider the legal framework that has remained largely unchanged for decades. While legislative reform remains a distant prospect, the increase in abortion pill shipments and the reluctance of courts to impose harsh penalties signal a shift in how the issue is being addressed in practice. Whether this will lead to broader legal or policy changes in the future remains to be seen.
