Doctors for Choice Malta - a non-profit organization made up of pro-choice professionals fighting the abortion ban on the island - reported on its
website that women who have abortions in Malta could face a maximum of three years in prison.
Doctors who help carry out the abortions could also face jailtime and a permanent revocation of their license, with the company adding, 'There are no exceptions in the law to allow an abortion even when the woman's health is at risk, in cases of severe fetal malformation, or in cases of rape or incest.'
'It wasn't until a couple days later that we realized the details of the legal restrictions, and that made the behavior of the medical professionals make a lot more sense. It hammered home just how bad our situation was,' Jay told the Today show.
The couple was given two options - sit and wait for the pregnancy to end on its own and hope that nothing happens to Andrea in the meantime, or take an 'extremely risky' flight to a nearby country where abortion is allowed.
They spent days trying to get her medically evacuated, and according to the couple, Mater Dei Hospital didn't make the process any easier for them.
Andrea told the
Guardian that the hospital was 'uncooperative in their attempts to leave and in sharing medical records with her insurance company.'
'I just want to get out of here alive,' she told the outlet earlier this week, from her hospital room in Malta’s capital, Valletta. 'I couldn’t in my wildest dreams have thought up a nightmare like this.'
Jay called the hospital's actions an 'inconceivable form of emotional and psychological torture,' while Andrea added that she feels like she is being 'traumatized.'
While speaking to the Today show, Jay further slammed the hospital for 'prolonging his wife's suffering.'
'There's a kind of torture that happens, psychologically, when you've been attaching to a pregnancy, seeing her on the ultrasound and making plans, only to learn you can't have her,' he said.
'And then you encounter a medical system that puts you in the situation we're in now - probably the worst situation imaginable.
'They have the capacity to provide the help. It's right there and available. But not only will they not help, but they're doing things to prolong suffering. We wanted this baby girl, and without water she's now compressed.'
On top of being terrified for his wife's health, he is also worried about the cost of her medical treatment, admitting that it has 'wrecked their finances.'
'Insurance is arranging this, but we're responsible for everything above and beyond what they cover,' he said.
Thankfully, the pair was able to secure an emergency flight to Spain, which will happen in the coming days. They are now sharing her story with the world in the hopes of raising awareness and 'avoiding a tragedy.'
'I don’t want this to happen to more people,' Andrea added to the Guardian.
