Opposition Leader Bernard Grech should take back what he said when he mocked Andrea Prudente's surname and the 'Babymoon' holiday the couple took to Malta, Parliamentary Secretary Alision Zerafa Civelli said on Monday.

Grech has been criticised for mocking Andrea Prudente, who earlier this year came to Malta on Holiday whilst being pregnant. Andrea Prudente was on holiday in Malta when she was 16-weeks pregnant and developed complications in her pregnancy. Doctors at Mater Dei Hospital had told her that her pregnancy was no longer viable but would not terminate it because the foetus still had a heartbeat.  She was not in imminent danger of dying, but risked an infection which could have proven fatal.

Grech, in Parliament recently, said: "A pregnant American woman travelled over 20 hours by plane to visit Malta for a babymoon. I had never heard of a babymoon before, but you can see that even this American woman had referred to a baby."

"She didn't refer to a few cells, an embryo or a foetus, but a baby... a human!" he said.

"Parliament should give a chance to the opposition leader to take back what he said", parliamentary secretary Zerafa Civelli said whilst adding that Grech only did this because he had parliamentary privilege.

During the morning parliamentary session, Zerafa Civelli assured that "abortion is going to remain illegal in our country" and that it would leave it up to doctors to see what medical needs pregnant women who would be in difficulty might need.

Zerafa Civelli quoted the case of Savita Halappanaver of Indian origin, who on the 28 October 2012 succumbed to sepsis after she was denied an abortion in Ireland on legal grounds.

She said that like Savita Halappanavar, Andrea prudente had to face the same problem, as abortion at that time in Ireland was also illegal in all circumstances.