Abortion: Poland To Issue More Detailed Medical Guidelines After Pregnant Woman Dies
Poland has appointed a team to issue more detailed guidelines for abortion after a pregnant woman died of sepsis because the hospital waited for the foetus to die before intervening.
Dorota, the 33-year-old victim, was in her fifth month of pregnancy when she was admitted to a Southern Polish hospital and died on 24th May, hours after the foetus had died.
Polish authorities on Monday said the woman had her rights violated and more detailed guidelines will seek to address this.
The case has once again drawn attention to Poland’s strict abortion laws.
In March, Polish abortion activist Justyna Wydrzyńska was found guilty of helping a woman access abortion by supplying abortion pills – a case which is a first for Europe.
This comes after Poland’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2020 that women could not terminate their pregnancies even when a foetus has severe and irreversible defects. The legal changes, supported by the country’s right-wing ruling party, sparked national protests.
Abortion is now only permitted where a woman’s life or health is at risk and in the case of rape.
In Malta, none of these scenarios is legal, making the small island one of the last countries on the planet with no access to legal abortion.
However, the ban does not stop people from terminating pregnancies, with over 1,000 orders for abortion pills reported in the last five years. It does however reinforce stereotypes, puts people’s health at risk and makes them criminally liable.
On June 1st, a Maltese woman was conditionally discharged for having a medical abortion at home – something which “should have never happened” according to Doctors For Choice.
When will Malta to update its draconian abortion laws?
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