Woman on Malta trip has incomplete miscarriage but can’t get abortion due to Maltese law
A pregnant American woman who suffered a miscarriage while on vacation in Malta will be flown to Spain on Thursday for a procedure to prevent infection because Maltese law prohibits abortion under any circumstances, the woman’s partner said.
Jay Veldreyer told The Associated Press by phone from a hospital on the island nation that his partner, Andrea Prudente, is at risk of a life-threatening infection if the fetal tissue is not removed immediately.
According to Veldreyer, 45, Prudente, 38, experienced heavy bleeding on June 12, followed by premature rupture of the amniotic sac and separation of the placenta. While the hospital is monitoring him closely for any signs of infection, the facility cannot. Surgery to complete the abortion, he said.
Malta is the only European Union member state that outlaws abortion for any reason. Contacted by the AP, Mater Dei Hospital, where Prudente is being treated, said it was not allowed to release patient information due to privacy rules.
“Abortion is 80% complete,” Veldreyer said. “Her water has broken, the placenta has separated, but because of the (fetal) heartbeat, the fetus cannot be removed, she said. , the couple described the placenta as partially separated.
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Mater Dei Hospital, a public facility in Malta, declined to speak about the woman’s medical condition, citing privacy restrictions.
An American woman vacationing in Malta miscarries and has to be airlifted to Spain to have an abortion and avoid infection. (Dukes/Universal Image Group/Getty Images)
The couple from Issaquah, Washington, a town near Seattle, arrived in Malta on June 5 for a long-awaited vacation. Prudente started bleeding and was hospitalized a week later, his partner said. She indicated that she was 16-weeks pregnant when the bleeding started.
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Concerned about the risk of infection, the two fear that Prudente could start bleeding again during the medical evacuation flight, and they have arranged for him to be flown to Spain on Thursday evening, where he will be hospitalized. .
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Mater Dei Hospital “has done a good job in terms of what they are allowed to do” under Maltese law, Veldreyer said. The woman is receiving antibiotics and being closely monitored for signs of infection, he said.
