The bill to decriminalise the termination of pregnancies when the mother’s life or health is at serious risk has been described as 'a first imperative step to protect women’s rights’ by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović.

In a statement in which she referred to the proposed bill as 'decriminalising abortion’ when a woman’s life or health is at risk, Mijatović said more should be done to fully guarantee women’s access to safe and legal abortion care.

Other key steps Malta should take to protect women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are, according to Mijatović:

·         Repeal provisions criminalising abortion and provide access to safe and legal abortion care;

·         Safeguard access to health care in case of refusals on grounds of conscience;

·         Make contraceptive services available and affordable;

·         Provide mandatory comprehensive sexuality education.

In a report issued last February, the Council of Europe had said that Malta’s blanket ban on abortion put women’s right to health at serious risk.

“It is time for the authorities to repeal provisions criminalising abortion, develop comprehensive regulation of women’s access to legal and safe abortion and improve the availability of sexual and reproductive health services,” the Council’s commission for human rights had said.