Published: 14.07.2022
In a judgment of October 22, 2020, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the statutory provision allowing eugenic abortion is inconsistent with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. The challenged provision concerned the permissibility of terminating a pregnancy, and thus killing a conceived child, in a situation where prenatal tests or other medical reasons indicate a high probability of a severe and irreversible impairment or an incurable disease that threatens the child's life.
The ruling of the Tribunal entered into force on the day of its publication in the Journal of Laws on January 27, 2021, becoming universally binding. Thus, abortion is banned in Poland for eugenic reasons. The judgment is final. Polish law does not know the procedure that would allow for its contestation.
The Court of Appeals in Lublin, Poland, has upheld the verdict of the Regional Court in Radom, sentencing a gynecologist to one year of imprisonment, suspended for three years. The doctor must also pay PLN 6,000 to the State Treasury in legal costs.
The Ordo Iuris Institute has prepared a guide for hospitals and doctors on how to respond to the Guidelines issued by the Minister of Health and the Attorney General regarding the performance of abortions. According to these Guidelines, the health premise that permits abortion can encompass any aspect of health—both physical and mental—including any health ailment.
• The European Union’s Council Conclusions on EU Priorities in UN Human Rights Fora in 2025 identify key areas of EU human rights activities at UN fora and refers to several universal human rights, such as freedom from torture and freedom of religion or belief.
• Last Saturday, activists from the Abortion Dream Team opened the AboTak 'abortion clinic' near the Polish Parliament, where Polish law is now set to be openly violated.
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