Poland has one of Europe’s strictest abortion laws, imposing a near-total ban on abortion procedures except in cases of rape, incest, or when a mother’s life is at risk. The Eastern European country, where almost three-quarters of citizens identify as Roman Catholic, has enforced restrictive abortion measures for nearly three decades. Abortion rights suffered yet its most crucial blow in 2020, when Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal outlawed abortions in cases of fetal impairment, or conditions that are life-threatening or serious to the fetus.
“Even in these exceptional situations, abortion is often inaccessible due to systemic barriers, legal uncertainty, and fear of prosecution,” said Adriana Lamacková, the Associate Director for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Inside a Czech Abortion Network Offering Pregnant Women from Poland a Lifeline