Massive protests were held across Poland on Wednesday following the death of a pregnant woman due to sepsis, triggering debate over the abortion laws in the country considered the strictest in Europe. Protesters carried placards that read, “We want doctors, not missionaries” and “Hell for women” as they marched towards the health ministry headquarters in the capital city of Warsaw.
Protests over abortion laws are nothing new in Poland; however, the death of 33-year-old Dorota Lalik last month, who was five months pregnant, has stoked anti-government sentiments ahead of the general elections slated to be held in October this year.
Abortion laws blamed for death of women
Activists have blamed strict abortion laws in the country for the death of at least five pregnant women of late. In 2021, the right-wing administration of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki put into effect a constitutional court decision which banned terminations of pregnancies with fetal defects.
However, it must be noted that abortion is allowed in cases of rape, incest or if there is a fatal threat to the lives of either mother or the baby. The government believes that the abortion laws should not be blamed for the death of Dorota Lalik as she had the right to a legal abortion, which the hospital violated.
According to reports, in 2005, the director of the hospital where Lalik tragically passed away made a public declaration stating that the institution would no longer conduct abortions. The reasoning behind this decision was rooted in the belief that the procedure went against both “God’s law and the pope’s teaching.” The Polish media outlet Gazeta Wyborcza has reported that since at least 2018, no abortions have been performed at this hospital.
Morawiecki warned against politicising the death of the 33-year-old woman.
“Such perinatal deaths also took place in the times of the Platforma Obywatelska [Civic Platform],” Morawiecki said on Wednesday, referring to the centrist opposition party that held power before his conservative party took over in 2015.
Previous instances of death of pregnant women
Activists contend that the existing legislation and the prevailing conservative atmosphere have created a chilling effect. They argue that another significant issue arises from doctors who refuse to perform abortions based on their personal moral beliefs.
Watch: Massive Polish Opposition rally in Warsaw
The tragic death of Lalik has prompted prosecutors to initiate an investigation. This incident adds to their examination of two similar cases involving pregnant women who died in hospitals after experiencing fetal demise.
Back in 2021, a distressing event occurred when a 30-year-old expectant mother from Pszczyna lost her life. Her family pointed fingers at the doctors, criticising their cautious approach of adopting a “wait-and-see” stance.
A year later, in Czestochowa, a 37-year-old woman tragically passed away several weeks after experiencing the loss of twin fetuses at 12 weeks of pregnancy.
