Parliament has unanimously voted in favour of the bill that would introduce exceptions to Malta's abortion law.

The final vote on the new amendments to the controversial abortion bill was taken in Parliament on Wednesday, after government announced further changes amending the original wording last week.

The amended abortion bill passed through Parliament's third reading, with unanimous support from all MPs present, despite appeals by pro-choice activists for the original bill to be reinstated.

Government's proposed changes were announced last week by Health Minister Chris Fearne, and allow abortions to take place when the prospective mother's life is at risk - changes which he said would put the minds of doctors, mothers, and those who had opposed the initial Bill at rest.

Fearne had said that the law as it is, before the Bill is signed by the President, means that if a pregnant woman were in a situation where she may die and a doctor intervenes to save her life but the pregnancy is lost in the process, then the doctor may face up to four years in prison and the mother up to three years in prison as well.

The principle of the bill - that of allowing a prospective mother's life to be saved in the most extreme circumstances, even if it means that the baby will be lost - will remain, but the amendments would clarify certain things and strengthen other points to reduce abuse.

The changes clarified what 'grave danger' to the mother's health meant, with the wording changed to say that a pregnancy termination would be permitted by law if the pregnant woman's health is "in grave jeopardy which may lead to death."

The amendments also define the "period of viability" as the point in a pregnancy at which the foetus is capable of living outside the uterus according to current medical practices, meaning that if the foetus is viable, a pregnancy termination cannot take place.

The decision must also be taken by a team of three medical professionals in cases where the risk to life is not immediate, two of which must be obstetricians or gynaecologists, and the third a specialist in the medical issue the mother would be experiencing. A pregnancy termination decision must also occur in a licensed hospital.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had said in an interview that the principle of the amendment was, is, and will be the same, that of protecting women and doctors.

He described it as a historic moment for the country, adding that the law emphasized on the question of health, and it being in grave jeopardy, deeming it unacceptable for a mother to have to wait until her situation worsens to the brink of death if her health was already declining.

Abela said that the new amendments eliminate abuse, and professionals can act with the peace of mind that they have the law protecting them.

Mixed reactions followed the announcement of the new amendments, with pro-life coalition 'Int Tista Ssalvani' claiming victory saying that the changes were a "direct result" of the opposition it had presented to the initial version of the Bill.

The coalition acknowledged that the new bill sends a clear message, and that the original draft of the law would have introduced abortion to Malta, which it said was unacceptable.

The Malta College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MCOG) also welcomed the new amendments to the Criminal Code proposed by government.

On the other hand, the Voice for Choice coalition said that the new amendments to the abortion bill are vague, unworkable, dangerous and will lead to vulnerable pregnant persons being left permanently disabled or dead.

NGO Moviment Graffitti had said that government, while presenting itself as feminist, intended to pass one of the most conservative and regressive laws in the field of reproductive health, firmly opposing the law which "undermines women and fails to provide them with the dignity they deserve."