A pro-life coalition has said that the government is yet to consult them over its proposal to amend Malta’s Criminal Code to introduce the possibility for a pregnancy termination if a mother’s life is at risk.

In a statement, the coalition – which claims to represent over 70,000 members – responded to a statement by Health Minister Chris Fearne earlier on Thursday that the consultation process on the Bill had been concluded.

“Before going to committee stage, we had agreed to listen to everybody. We organised a series of extensive meetings, which are now concluded,” Fearne said earlier in the day.

He said that the amendments are expected to go through Parliament before the summer recess.

However, the coalition said that “it is not true that the government spoke with us and it hasn’t even sent for us so that we can speak, even though we formally wrote to them in order to meet and talk.”

“It is clear that the government only spoke to small groups which do not amount to more than a few dozen members, all of whom agree with the government,” the coalition said before adding that it is also “clear” that it doesn’t have all of its party members backing it and that it does not have the electoral mandate to “introduce abortion.”

The group reminded that they are still waiting to be consulted on the Bill and suggested that the “theatrics” on this public consultation stop.

The coalition said that the six largest groups in it are: Pro Life Malta, Abortion in Malta? Not in my name, No you cannot kill unborn babies, Pro Malta Christiana, Partit ABBA, Partit Popolari, and the Home Owners Association.

The government’s proposal to amend the Criminal Code to allow abortions to take place when there is a grave risk to the prospective mother’s health, which is now at committee stage in Parliament, had stoked controversy due to some arguing that its wording was not clear enough and hence giving the possibility for abortions to be carried out at any point and in any circumstance.

On 4 January, Health Minister Chris Fearne had announced during a press conference that the government was to propose amendments to the wording of the bill after protests by the anti-abortion lobby, who interpreted the wording as meaning that abortion will be made legal.

Little about the amendment has been heard since, and it has been on the backburner of Parliament’s agenda so far this year.

The proposal was put forward after American tourist Andrea Prudente had to be airlifted to Spain to receive a termination of an unviable pregnancy in June 2022.