The Women on Waves pro-choice organisation that had in the past controversially floated the idea of visiting the waters around Malta to offer on-board abortion services is to include Malta in its itinerary, once it takes again to the open seas.
The Malta Independent yesterday exclusively reported that the non-profit organisation was recently given a new licence by the Dutch authorities to offer abortion services in international waters for women up to seven weeks pregnant.
Contacted by this newspaper yesterday, Women on Waves director Dr Rebecca Gomperts commented: “Malta is definitely one of the countries on our list, although we have no definite decision as yet and as such we cannot exclude or confirm travelling to Malta.
“We would, however, really like to come to Malta as we have already campaigned in the other European states where abortion was illegal – namely Portugal, Poland and Ireland.
“With Malta being the only such country where we have not yet campaigned, I believe that the country should definitely be included in our itinerary.”
She added that the organisation, which now has a new licence in hand after it had been revoked by a previous conservative Dutch government, is in the process of raising funds and chartering a new ship, activities which, she explains “of course will take time”.
The organisation is also preparing for new legal proceedings in the Dutch courts, where it is to appeal the terms of the new licence by requesting the pregnancy time limit be extended to 12 weeks.
As for the time frame in which the new chartered ship could be expected to take to the open seas once again, she added, “We really don’t know as sometimes these things are fast and sometimes slow – but one thing to consider is that since Malta has fair weather most of the year, we would not necessarily have to wait for the summer season to pay a visit.”
Abortions aboard the Women on Waves ship are carried out by means of an “abortion pill”, which induces a spontaneous miscarriage. The procedure has a 98 per cent success-rate Dr Gomperts explained. She added that “it is a very safe method of abortion and has been used by millions of European women”.
“At the moment the licence allows us to give abortion pills to women who are up to seven weeks pregnant,” Dr Gomperts adds. “We will, however, dispute that in court and push for a 12-week limit.”
The organisation – which has in the past offered a range of abortion, contraception and counselling services – had been effectively prohibited from plying international waters in 2004, when the conservative Dutch government of the day imposed a raft of prohibitive restrictions on the group. The rules, however, have recently been eased after a shift of power to a more liberal coalition.
The new licence will allow a new ship, still to be chartered by the organisation, to fly the Dutch flag. Since the ship will be Dutch-registered, Dutch laws apply on board when the ship is in international waters.
The ship had previously planned to visit the waters around Malta, a prospect that had provoked an outcry from the government, the Church and sections of the public.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, at the time Social Policy Minister, had warned that the government would seek legal action against any Maltese citizen found working with Women on Waves.