Welcome to the Abortion Doula Support Service
%20(2)_edited.jpg)
Why this service?
We want to ensure women having an abortion stay safe.
Acess to safe abortion is an essential part of women's healthcare. Unfortunately, Malta remains one of the last EU countries to not legally allow access to the procedure unless the pregnant woman's life is at risk. Each year, this leads to several hundreds of women in Malta undertaking their own abortion with pills at home, or travelling to abortion clinics abroad. Regardless of how the abortion is performed, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding the procedure, and many women are afraid to seek help before, during or after the procedure, because they are afraid their doctor may be anti-choice and may report them.
It is essential that women undertaking an abortion have accurate information on how the abortion is performed and how to spot complications, and this is according to guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Although abortion is considered a safe procedure, around 1 in 20 women may need medical attention. The Abortion Doula Support Service helps women by allowing them to speak to a pro-choice doctor. The service is fully confidential and free of charge.
How can we help you?
Here is what we can provide to you:
-
Information before, during, or after an abortion with pills at home
-
Information and support before or after an abortion in a clinic abroad
-
Information on what are normal symptoms after an abortion, and what may be a complication that needs attention
-
Information of what to do if you have a complication after an abortion
-
Information on what to do if you think the pregnancy has continued after an abortion
-
Information to women with problems with pregnancy, even if admitted to Mater Dei or another hospital, about their termination options in Malta or abroad.
A few things to note.
This is not an emergency service. If you are having an emergency, for example are losing too much blood, you will need to go to a hospital. This is likely to be Mater Dei Hospital in Malta, or Gozo General Hospital in Gozo. There is no need to say you have taken anything to receive treatment. The complications of an abortion with pills and a miscarriage are generally the same, and there is no test that can determine whether you took abortion pills.
For legal reasons, our doctors cannot provide you with abortion pills. However, there are safe online services that provide abortion pills. More information can be found here: Abortion pills, how to order.
The doctors providing this service are Prof Isabel Stabile, a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Dr Natalie Psaila, a specialist in Family Medicine. Both are active activists within the pro-choice organisation Doctors for Choice (Malta).
Curiosity: What is an abortion doula?
The word "doula" originates from Ancient Greek and it means "a woman who serves." In the modern context, an abortion doula is someone trained to provide information, help, and support to people going through the process of abortion.