While technically allowed in some cases, abortion in Poland may as well be forbidden, putting women’s lives at risk, said Robert Biedron, EU lawmaker and leader of the Polish opposition party Nowa Lewica on Thursday (17 November).
Two years ago, Poland’s constitutional court approved a highly-restrictive new law that de facto banned abortion. Only 107 legal abortions were performed in 2021, approximately 90% less than in previous years, according to figures published by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
Four MEPs went to Warsaw between 2 and 4 November to assess the effect of the current law with representatives of civil society and women’s rights organisations and then presented the results during a public hearing at the European Parliament.
“Abortion is de facto illegal in Poland as it is very limited. We have gathered information by NGOs and different organisations that express their deep worry for the lack of access to health of women, whose rights are completely violated,” said Biedron during a press conference following the hearing.
The situation in Poland demonstrates a lack of access for women to health services, such as abortion, but also access to contraceptives and other medicines linked to reproductive health.
Furthermore, in 2022, six women died due to carrying pregnancies to term that could have been aborted, said Biedron, adding that women’s lives are at risk when they feel they cannot approach a doctor for obstetric care.
However, “when we speak with government authorities, they say that everything is fine”, he added.
“The European Parliament must continue to put pressure on the Polish government and use all the tools it has, or more women will die,” Caroline Hickson, regional director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s European Network, warned MEPs during the hearing.
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At the Thursday hearing, Polish lawyer Kamila Feren emphasised that decisions about women’s bodies must not be “in the hands of conservative politicians”.
Members of the Polish association Abortion Dream Team (ADT) told EURACTIV that when abortions are performed, the methods used, such as the ‘curettage method‘ has been designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as “outdated and the most invasive”, ADT said.
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‘Women as incubators’
Amongst those testifying at the LIBE committee was Barbara Skrobol, sister-in-law of Izabela Sajbor.
Sajbor died of sepsis in September 2021 after doctors refused to perform a caesarean section on her until the fetus’ heartbeat stopped, despite the fact it had a known birth defect and was unlikely to survive.
“They weren’t able to do anything because of the anti-abortion law,” Skrobol said.
“It’s horrible. That is what the procedure is. They see women as incubators”, Sajbor had texted her mother during her stay at the hospital.
“She knew she was being tortured, forced to wait for the foetus to die”, Skrobol said.
EU Parliament condemns Poland's restrictive law on abortion
A year after the Polish Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling that de facto banned abortion, the European Parliament called on the government in Warsaw on Thursday (11 November) to lift the ban that puts women’s lives at risk.
Pregnancy registers and protests
Nowa Lewica’s Biedron highlighted that in Poland, now, there are pregnancy registers.
“There is a national pregnancy registry so that the government can follow them, and any eventual termination is visible. We have these kind of things in Poland in 2022,” said Briedron.
The register means that even if a Polish citizen or resident goes abroad to terminate a pregnancy, they can face criminal charges upon their return.
In Poland, activists took to the streets to protest against the abortion ban in October and November 2021 following the death of Izabela Sajbor.
“But they are being threatened and attacked physically during the protests,” said Hickson.
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EU called to take action
Abortion is legal in most European countries, with Malta and Poland the only two member states to heavily restrict it, the former having a complete ban on abortions with possible prison sentences for both the mother and doctor.
Following the overturning of Roe v Wade by the US Supreme Court in July, the European Parliament called to include the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
“MEPs once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the rollback of women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and some Member States,” the FEMM committee said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Malta announced it would amend its abortion laws to allow doctors to carry out procedures to save the mother in cases where her life is at risk.
Malta to amend restrictive abortion laws
Malta, one of the few European countries to have a blanket ban on abortion, is expected to amend its abortion laws in the coming months, Prime Minister Robert Abela told local media in an interview.
Under the current law, it is …
[Edited by Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
