Final Conviction on Appeal for Polish Doctor Who Attempted to Perform an Illegal Abortion

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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.

Previously, in 2023, the Radom Regional Court convicted the gynecologist of assisting a pregnant woman in obtaining an abortion in violation of the law and for falsifying medical records. The doctor, Slawomir W., appealed the conviction. At the appeal stage, the Ordo Iuris Institute joined the proceedings and demanded that the original verdict be upheld.

In 2019, a pregnant woman visited the doctor, who informed her about the possibility and method of abortion. He then scheduled an appointment for the procedure and accepted a payment of 4,000 zlotys. However, just before the abortion was to take place, a detective hired by the patient entered the doctor's office. The woman claimed that the procedure was to be performed against her will (under pressure) and had sought assistance from the detective agency.

The prosecutor's office charged Slawomir W. with aiding an illegal abortion and falsifying medical records. According to the charges, the doctor noted in the patient’s chart that she had come to him complaining of pain but omitted any mention of her pregnancy.

In July 2023, the Radom Regional Court found the gynecologist guilty of both offenses. He was sentenced to one year of imprisonment, suspended for three years, and the court ordered the forfeiture of his financial gain to the State Treasury. His attorney appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeals in Lublin, but the appellate court upheld the original verdict and additionally ordered the doctor to pay PLN 2,000 in court costs for the appeal proceedings.

The decision of the Court of Appeals is final. The Ordo Iuris Institute, which participated in the case as a social organization at the appeal stage, has announced that its lawyers will now submit a request to the Medical Council to revoke the gynecologist’s right to practice medicine.

See also:

• Polish Court of Appeals overturns an abortion activist’s conviction; judge calls abetting of illegal abortion “citizen selfhelp”
• An Abortion "Clinic" in Warsaw. Ordo Iuris Notifies The Prosecutor's Office