“Abortion slaughterhouse number 1” was written on a van parked in front of a hospital in Warsaw. The text was illustrated with an equally dramatic image, an aborted fetus of twice three meters. Those behind the campaign are the foundation “Pro-Retten til Liv”. One of several lobby organizations working to tighten Poland’s strict abortion law. – We act in places where children are killed, to give medical personnel a bad conscience, says Anna Szczerbata in the anti-abortion foundation. Szczerbata is an arch-conservative voice in Polish TV debates, but skeptical of talking to news. Finally, she agrees to a short interview while rolling the baby to sleep. – I think our actions have an effect. You do not become untouched when you see the abortion victims day after day at the front door before you go in and kill such a child at work, says Szczerbata. She uses strong words when she describes what she thinks is happening inside the hospitals. The foundation stood with rosaries in front of the hospital’s front door. They prayed for the doctors to make the “right” choices. The actions continued until they were informed that abortion procedures were no longer performed at the hospital. Now the van has received a new inscription and is driving around Poland. The “Pro-Right to Life” has so far been sued several times 48 times to show strong images in public. They have been convicted several times. The foundation’s “Pro-Right to Life” cars drive around Poland and are used in actions at hospitals and railway stations Photo: Guri Norstrøm Europe’s strictest law In Poland, abortion is prohibited. Unless the mother’s life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of a rape. In October 2020, Poland’s abortion law was tightened. Abortion was then banned in the event of serious malformations in the fetus. And injuries to the fetus were the reason for 98 percent of all abortions performed in Polish hospitals that year. In order to obtain a permit for an abortion at a Polish hospital, the rape must be reported and documentation must be submitted. The case must then be dealt with by a public prosecutor. This must be done before week 12 of pregnancy. Difficult lawsuit – A guy asked about the road to the train station, then he grabbed me and pushed me down to the ground, says Ukrainian Nastya Podorozhnya. Ukrainian Nastya Podorozhnya shares her experiences with the Polish judiciary with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Photo: private She tells of how she screamed and hit when she was assaulted on the street in Krakow. She screamed so loud that the man finally ran away. Now she has started the chat service “Martynka” for Ukrainian women on the run in Poland. There, women can anonymously ask about Polish law, talk about war traumas with a psychologist, or be referred to places that mediate abortion pills. Nastya says that she felt suspicious when she told about the attempted rape in court. – I saw how much I as a victim constantly had to prove. I was examined by a forensic psychologist. I had to explain myself three times and during the trial the recordings of these explanations were compared. Her experience of explaining herself in the judiciary as a foreigner means that she does not recommend other women to go to court to get permission for an abortion in Poland. Ukrainian rape victims Rape has become part of the war in Ukraine. In April, the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza wrote about 380 women from Butsja who wanted to seek refuge in Warsaw. The women were afraid that they could not get help to perform an abortion in Poland. According to the newspaper, 120 of these women were raped by Russian soldiers. In response to the request, the health authorities in Warsaw have said that they will simplify the abortion process for refugees from Ukraine. This softening of abortion practices is something that abortion opponents fear. – Women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine need, first and foremost, to feel safe. A child born as a result of a rape is a child on an equal footing with any child, Anna Szerbata answers the question of whether women who have been raped by Russian soldiers should be allowed to end their pregnancy in Poland. – The idea that one should punish a defenseless child for a crime committed by a man, is unfair is cruel and inhuman. The victim of crimes must be helped and not sentenced to death, says Szczerbata Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby The foundation “Pro-Retten til Liv” wants to ban abortion even after rape. And they do not skimp on gunpowder when explaining their views on abortion. Many Ukrainians who have arrived with Poland this spring have seen Szczerbata’s organization in front of several of the country’s train stations. In addition to posters of aborted fetuses, activists have told refugees that abortion is illegal in Poland. Something it is not in Ukraine. – Women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine need, first and foremost, to feel safe. A child born as a result of a rape is a child on an equal footing with any child, answers Anna Szerbata. Although they are visible on Polish streets and in the Polish public debate, they are perceived as extreme by many. They are not the only organizations working to stop all abortions in Poland. The ultra-conservative organization Ordo Iuris is a more powerful player, with ties to the government party Law and Justice. They have recently sent a request for access to Polish hospitals to find out how many Ukrainian women have had abortions in Poland. – We will find out how many of the Ukrainian citizens who have terminated the pregnancy have actually been raped. And whether the public prosecutor has been contacted in advance, so that Polish law has been followed, says Katrzyna Gęsiak to news. – How can we verify that women who have an abortion have actually been raped by soldiers and are not just Ukrainian labor immigrants in Poland who exploit an open gate given to war victims? asks Katarzyna Gęsiak rhetorically. Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby / news She is the director of the organization’s Center for Medical Law and believes there is a danger that the war in Ukraine will lead to the hospitals becoming too liberal in their abortion practices. – How can we verify that women who have an abortion have actually been raped by soldiers and are not Ukrainian labor immigrants who exploit an open gate given to war victims? Gęsiak asks rhetorically. Ordo Iuris will also prosecute women who help other women gain access to abortion in Poland. They are expert witnesses in an ongoing lawsuit against the activists of the Aborcyjny Dream Team. Helps with abortion pills – This box is completely empty, says Justyna Wydrzyńska and shakes demonstratively on a pill package. – If there had been medication in it, it could have led to me being reported. Wydrzyńska is an activist in the Aborcyjny Dream Team and knows what she’s talking about. She is awaiting a verdict in July. The mother of three is accused of giving a woman such abortion pills. The penalty is three years in prison. Justyna Wydrzyńska is accused of sharing abortion pills with another Polish woman. Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby / news Most abortions in Poland, and Norway, are performed using abortion pills. In Norway, it is recommended to contact a doctor before performing an abortion at home. In Poland, doctors can be punished with up to three years in prison if they prescribe abortion pills. This has led to Polish women having to buy abortion medicines online. There are several organizations that share information about what types of medications are safe and how they should be taken. The Polish organizations cannot distribute or sell these medicines themselves, but they can put women in Poland in contact with doctors abroad. Wydrzyńska says that her organization has been called by 500 Ukrainian women this spring. The Ukrainians have asked how to proceed to terminate their pregnancy in Poland. – As a doctor, I can not prescribe such drugs, it can lead to me getting a criminal case against me, gynecologist Maria Walkiewicz tells news. Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby / news Prescriptions give prison sentence Although it is illegal with almost all abortions in Poland. Then women who take abortion pills are not punished. Those who can be punished are all those who contribute to an abortion being performed. This applies to doctors who prescribe or pharmacists who sell them. Ordo Iuris works to ensure that courier companies that bring the medicine to the customer are also punished. – As a doctor, I can not prescribe such drugs, it can lead to me getting a criminal case against me, gynecologist Maria Walkiewicz tells news. She weighs her words on gold, afraid that something she says could lead to her losing her medical license. – I think I can tell my patients about organizations that spread information about abortion on the internet, she says doubtfully. The doctor is afraid she may have said too much. – There is publicly available information, so I think it is legal, Walkiewicz says. The abortions permitted by Polish law are also difficult to perform. Many doctors have reserved themselves against performing such actions. Organizations, such as Ordo Iuris and the “Pro-Right to Life”, are ready to report hospitals that perform abortions, to investigate whether the rapes that were the reason for the abortions are real. Last year, according to Ordo Iuris, a total of three abortions were performed after rape in Polish hospitals. Abortion is a controversial topic in Poland, it divides the country in two Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby / news Majority for free abortion Abortion is a controversial topic in Poland, it divides the country in two. This could be seen when huge protests broke out across the country when the abortion law was curtailed in 2020. Both pro-abortion and anti-abortion activists mobilize for street protests. Poles’ attitudes towards abortion are changing. The latest survey shows that 66 per cent of all Poles now want a free abortion before week 12. Among women under 40, only 17 per cent do not want a self-determined abortion. On June 22, the Polish National Assembly will vote on a bill to legalize abortion before week 12. Anna Sczerbata spends all her speaking time convincing Polish elected officials that they should vote against.
ttn-69
