Read the full statement here.
The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (EPF) strongly condemns the verdict in the case of Justyna Wydrzynska, a Polish activist who was convicted and sentenced to eight months of community service for supplying a pregnant woman with abortion pills in a landmark trial under the country’s ultra-strict abortion laws. The case sets a precedent within the country that already has some of the most restrictive abortion legislation in Europe and will further repress women’s reproductive rights.
EPF members stand in solidarity with Ms Wydrzynska and all individuals who are working to protect reproductive rights and justice. Current Polish law and Polish government actions stand against basic WHO abortion care guidelines, damage women's equality, dignity, autonomy, as well as bodily integrity, and expose them to forms of cruel and inhuman treatment.
Access to safe and legal abortion is a fundamental human right and an essential component of reproductive healthcare. According to several publications by the EPF on essential SRHR policies, such as access to abortion or contraception, Poland remains the worst country in Europe.
Moreover, banning abortion does not reduce the number of abortions; it only increases the likelihood of unsafe and unreliable procedures that can cause serious harm, or even death.3 Many women in Poland are forced to travel to other countries or undergo unsafe procedures at home.
In some regions of the country, women are also unable to obtain an abortion due to refusals of care by doctors.
We, therefore, call on the Polish government to repeal regressive laws on reproductive rights and take immediate steps to ensure that individuals like Ms Wydrzynska are not persecuted for providing essential healthcare services. The right to legal and safe abortion is at the very core of the fundamental right to equality and privacy concerning intimate matters of physical and psychological integrity.