Published: 14.07.2022
The Supreme Court upheld a cassation appeal in the case of Dr. Bawer Aondo-Akaa, a prolife activist defended by Ordo Iuris lawyers. A cassation appeal was filed by the Public Prosecutor General. The reason for his previous conviction was the display of posters showing the effects of abortion. The District Court considered this to be a prank designed to cause scandal in a public place, i.e. an act that fulfills the features of Art. 51 § 1 of the Code of Petty Offenses. The Supreme Court stated that presenting photos of abortion victims is not a freak and does not have a bad and demoralizing influence on the environment. The Supreme Court also emphasized that the behavior did not fulfill the criteria of Art. 141 KW, i.e. presenting indecent announcements or drawings.
The Supreme Court found that the accused acted within the limits of the freedom of speech guaranteed by Art. 54 sec. 1 of the Constitution and Art. 10 (1) of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The decision confirms the current line of jurisprudence. The Ordo Iuris has already obtained over 120 decisions to discontinue or acquit defenders of life in similar cases. However, the few convictions raised concerns. The judgment of the Supreme Court will be cited in several dozen pending cases of defenders of life and will probably lead to the end of the prosecution of prolife exhibitions by pro-abortion activists.
On February 13, the Court of Appeals in Warsaw overturned an earlier verdict convicting Justyna Wydrzyńska, a well-known abortion activist from the so-called Abortion Dream Team, of assisting in a medical abortion.
In March 2023, the Warsaw-Praga Regional Court had sentenced this activist to community service for giving abortion pills to a woman who was pregnant with twins. It was a high-profile case that was reported in the international media.
• The trial of Justyna Wydrzyńska, an activist from the Abortion Dream Team group who was convicted of aiding and abetting a medical abortion, took place in the Court of Appeals in Warsaw.
• The European Parliament will debate the draft recommendations of the EU Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM).
On November 8, the Polish Sejm voted on a bill decriminalizing both the performance and the aiding and abetting of illegal abortions. The Left’s radically pro-abortion bill was thus sent for further parliamentary work.
© 2016 ORDO IURIS - Instytut Na Rzecz Kultury Prawnej
