Abortion in Malta

Abortion in Malta is illegal. In the extremely rare situations that a mother's life is actually threatened by the emergence of a pregnancy, abortive procedures have been performed within Maltese territory with no repercussions. For example, in the case of Amanda Cremona-Psaila, the police department were notified by officials at Mater Dei Hospital that a gynecologist and university professor had performed a chemical abortion to prevent the mother suffering a cancer relapse, which the hormonal changes common to a pregnancy were sure to cause. No action was taken on behalf of the police department, which retain the jurisdiction to press charges for criminal offences as they see fit.