Large demos in Malta as parliament debates 'abortion law'

People attend a protest against government plans to introduce a law that they view as opening the door to abortion in the only European Union country which does not permit it under any circumstances, in Valletta, Malta December 4, 2022. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

VALLETTA (Reuters) - A large picture of an unborn baby was placed outside the office of Malta's prime minister on Sunday as demonstrators called on the government to halt plans to amend the country's strict anti-abortion laws.

The protest, the biggest in years, attracted several thousand people including Malta's top Catholic bishop and the leader of the conservative opposition, but was led by a former centre-left president, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.