Poland denied abortion to 14-year-old girl raped by uncle

Doctors in the Podlaskie region of Poland refused to perform an abortion on a 14-year-old girl who was raped by her uncle. They stated that this was contrary to their beliefs. This was reported by the non-governmental organization Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDER), reports . Novaya Gazeta

The girl has intellectual disabilities, and she did not understand that she was pregnant and did not tell anyone about what had happened. When her aunt found out about her condition, she tried to sign up her minor relative for an abortion.

She received a certificate from the prosecutor's office stating that the pregnancy was the result of a crime. Without this document, it would not have been possible to legally terminate a pregnancy in Poland.

Even with the certificate, doctors at local hospitals refused to perform abortions because terminating the pregnancy was “contrary to their beliefs,” according to FEDER. The foundation reported that the girl's aunt alleged cruel and inhumane treatment of them.

After turning to the Foundation's employees, the girl eventually managed to get an abortion in the Polish capital of Warsaw. The foundation also demanded that the Polish government remove the conscience clause that allows doctors to refuse to perform abortions. So far, the Polish Ministry of Health has called the doctors’ behavior “unacceptable” and has launched an investigation.

“According to the law, the conscience clause cannot be invoked by entire hospitals as healthcare institutions, and hospital management must provide the personnel who will ultimately perform the procedure. But what if in practice no one follows these rules?” the foundation said in a statement.

Abortion in Poland

• Since 1993 and after the decision of the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland in 2020, abortion in the country is allowed only in case of danger to the life and health of the pregnant person, or if the pregnancy resulted from a criminal act - rape, incest, and so on.

• The 2020 decision by the Constitutional Tribunal, a body effectively controlled by the ruling conservative Law and Justice party, sparked mass protests across the country. However, the decision remained unchanged.