In Malta, the life of the mother is always the priority – she is never in danger!
You will be offered the treatment you require, which is also safe for the baby. Medication has advanced significantly, such that there is now medication that is also safe for your baby
In a recent Press statement in June 2022, Doctors for Life, said:
We […] want to emphasise that the practice at Mater Dei Hospital always seeks to ensure that the mother’s life is always protected and given priority”
Also in June 2022, Professor George Gregory Buttigieg (KM, MD, PhD, LRCP(End.), MRCS (Lond.), Ma (Melit), FRCOG, FRCPI, FRCP ED) said:
“Maltese law and medical precedent are absolutely clear: if a woman’s life is at risk from her pregnancy, then it is absolutely legal for her pregnancy to be ended by delivering the child, even if that child has a heartbeat, and even if the child will sadly pass away”.
Maltese doctors confirm that no woman will be denied a medical intervention during pregnancy. The high level of care provided to pregnant women by local health services confirms this
In Malta, between 2011 and 2022, there were 35,000 births, with zero instance of maternal deaths during the years. This means that Malta has the best maternal health record in the entire world.The absence of maternal deaths in all these years indicates that women's lives are not at risk even when facing dangerous conditions in their pregnancy, despite the lack of availability of legal abortion on the islands.
Most pregnancies proceed without problems. However, there are instances when complications arise. One serious, but rare, condition is maternal sepsis (a severe infection during pregnancy) which can be treated if caught early
In rare cases, where the mother's life is endangered, medical professionals will seek to deliver the baby (naturally or medically) to save the mother's life, even if the pregnancy is not advanced enough. This is not an abortion, it is rather a severe infection that needs to be treated, even if the baby does not survive.