PM warns abortion motion abusers will face legal proceedings

Robert Abela has warned that whoever abused the legislative amendment allowing the termination of a pregnancy when a woman’s life or health is at risk, will have to face legal proceedings as abortion will remain illegal in Malta.
The prime minister was speaking on One Radio on Sunday morning, where he also paid tribute to Bernice Cassar, a woman who was shot dead on Tuesday, allegedly by her estranged husband.

Abela said state and society had failed to do enough to safeguard domestic victims of violence, noting that protection orders were not enough if there were not enough human resources to protect those at risk.
Cassar had told police a week before her murder that her husband had breached a court order designed to protect her from the man who allegedly once held a knife to her throat.
A timeline of the mother-of-two's calls for help, given to Times of Malta, shows how she faced court and police delays as she tried to protect herself.
“It is clear that the state, country and society didn’t do all that needed to be done. If we had done all that was needed to be done, we would not have had three murders of women this year.
“A lot has been done, including reforms, but there is...