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Woman who had miscarriage in Malta taken to Spain to abort

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain (AP) - A pregnant American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta was receiving treatment Friday in a hospital on the Spanish island of Mallorca because Maltese law prohibits abortion, the woman's partner said.

Jay Weeldreyer told The Associated Press that doctors at the Son Espases University Hospital in Palma de Mallorca were preparing his partner, Andrea Prudente, for a procedure to remove the remaining fetal tissue because she was at risk of a life-threatening infection.

A medical evacuation flight transported the couple from Malta to Mallorca late Thursday.

Weeldreyer told the AP in a video interview Friday that Prudente was 'œexhausted, but relieved. Her physical condition is stable. So, she's safe.'ť

'œThe next step is she has to terminate the pregnancy,'œ he said. 'œFrom a medical standpoint, that'll basically be the end of it.'ť

Prudente, 38, experienced heavy bleeding on June 12, followed by a premature rupture of the amniotic sac and the separation of the placenta, Weeldreyer, 45, told the AP on Thursday.

The Malta hospital where she was treated carefully monitored her for any sign of infection but it could not perform the surgery to complete the miscarriage, he said.

Malta is the only European Union member nation that outlaws abortions for any reason.

The couple from Issaquah, Washington, a town near Seattle, arrived in Malta on June 5 for what they had planned as a 'œbabymoon'ť vacation. A week into the trip, Prudente started bleeding and they encountered the 'œworst of all possible worlds, where there is no good choice,'ť Weeldreyer said. He indicated she was 16 weeks pregnant at the time.

After the Supreme Court ruled Friday to end constitutional protections for abortion in the United States, Weeldreyer said he and Prudente 'œjust looked at each other."

'œWe were just thinking about the women who are going to suffer in states where politicians will choose to do something like Malta for a political gain,'ť he told the AP by telephone from the hospital in Spain. 'œWomen are going to suffer.'ť

Under Spanish law, abortion is permitted upon request through the 14th week of pregnancy and up to the 22nd week when a woman's life or health is in danger.

The Women's Rights Foundation in Malta filed a legal protest in court last week that demanded the legalization of abortion in the tiny island nation.

___

Ciarán Giles in Madrid and Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed to this report.

Andrea Prudente, 38, who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta is seen with her partner Jay Weeldreyer, right, in this undated photo taken in Deception Pass, WA, provided by the couple on Thursday, June 23, 2022. Prudente will be airlifted to a Spanish island on Thursday for a procedure to prevent infection because Maltese law prohibits abortion under any circumstances, the woman's partner said. (Jay Weeldreyer via AP) The Associated Press
Andrea Prudente's husband Jay Weeldreyer poses for a photo at the Son Espases University Hospital in Palma Mallorca, Spain, Friday, June 24, 2022. A pregnant American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta, Prudente was receiving treatment Friday in a hospital on the Spanish island of Mallorca because Maltese law prohibits abortion, the woman's partner said. Jay Weeldreyer told The Associated Press that doctors at the Son Espases University Hospital in Palma de Mallorca were preparing his partner, Andrea Prudente, for a procedure to remove the remaining fetal tissue because she was at risk of a life-threatening infection. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla) The Associated Press
A general view of the Son Espases University Hospital where an American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta is is hospitalised in Palma Mallorca, Spain, Friday, June 24, 2022. A pregnant American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta, Prudente was receiving treatment Friday in a hospital on the Spanish island of Mallorca because Maltese law prohibits abortion, the woman's partner said. Jay Weeldreyer told The Associated Press that doctors at the Son Espases University Hospital in Palma de Mallorca were preparing his partner, Andrea Prudente, for a procedure to remove the remaining fetal tissue because she was at risk of a life-threatening infection. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla) The Associated Press
A general view of the Son Espases University Hospital where an American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta is is hospitalised in Palma Mallorca, Spain, Friday, June 24, 2022. A pregnant American woman who suffered an incomplete miscarriage while vacationing in Malta, Prudente was receiving treatment Friday in a hospital on the Spanish island of Mallorca because Maltese law prohibits abortion, the woman's partner said. Jay Weeldreyer told The Associated Press that doctors at the Son Espases University Hospital in Palma de Mallorca were preparing his partner, Andrea Prudente, for a procedure to remove the remaining fetal tissue because she was at risk of a life-threatening infection. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla) The Associated Press
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