Issaquah Woman Miscarries In Malta, Fears For Life As Abortions Banned

ISSAQUAH, WA — An Issaquah woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta must be flown to another country for a potentially life-saving procedure because abortions are banned in the country for any reason.

Jay Weeldreyer told The Associated Press that his partner, Andrea Prudente, was 16 weeks pregnant when she began experiencing heavy bleeding June 12. Her amniotic sac prematurely ruptured, and her placenta separated.

Malta’s Mater Dei Hospital is monitoring her for infection, but the hospital cannot perform surgery to complete the miscarriage, Weeldreyer told the AP. She could face a life-threatening infection if the fetal tissue isn't quickly removed.

The miscarriage is 80 percent complete, Weeldreyer told AP, but because of a fetal heartbeat, the fetus cannot be removed. Malta is the only European Union member that bans abortions for any reason.

In addition to infection, the couple worry Prudente could resume hemorrhaging as she's flown to Mallorca, Spain, on Thursday evening.

"We're sitting here with the understanding that if she goes into labor, then the hospital will engage. If the baby's heart stops, they will help with that. Other than that, they won't do anything," Weeldreyer told BBC News.

He added that she faces "an extraordinarily high risk of infection," which can be prevented.

"The baby can't live, there's nothing that can be done to change that. We wanted her, we still want her, we love her, we wish she could survive, but she won't. And not only are we in a spot when we're losing a daughter that we wanted, but the hospital is also prolonging Andrea's exposure to risk," he said.

In Spain, an abortion can be performed up to 14 weeks into pregnancy, or up to 22 weeks if the person's life or health is in danger.

Dr. Lara Dimitrijevic, a lawyer in Malta and chair of the Women's Rights Foundation, told BBC News that Maltese doctors typically allow the body to expel the fetus on its own or, in serious cases such as when the patient falls ill and develops sepsis, will intervene to try to save the person's life.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.