Polish woman sentenced for abortion assistance
Justyna Wydrzyńska (middle) with two other abortion activists. Photo Twitter, Mara Clarke
Central Europe
A Polish activist was sentenced for providing abortion pills to a pregnant woman. Justyna Wydrzyńska has to fulfil eight months of community service.
The pro-choice group to which Wydrzynska belongs reported that on Twitter. Wydrzynska provided pills to a Polish woman, Ania, in 2020, CNE.news reported earlier. At first, Ania had wanted to travel abroad to get an abortion, but her husband prevented her from going. Therefore, Wydrzyńska provided her with abortion pills.
Nevertheless, Ania's husband discovered what was going on. He called the police, and the officers found the abortion pills during a house search. The drugs were traced back to Wydrzyńska in June.
In Poland, it is illegal to help a pregnant woman induce an abortion or to help her in any other way to terminate her pregnancy.
Domestic violence
During her trial on Tuesday, the abortion activist defended herself by saying that she provided the pills to someone who was a victim of domestic violence. She argued that the pills were the "safest way to terminate a pregnancy in Poland" and that many women use the drugs worldwide.
After the judge sentenced her to 30 hours of community service for eight months, she announced that she would appeal the verdict.
Indignant
Human rights organisation Amnesty International is indignant about the ruling. Secretary General Agnès Callamard calls it a “dangerous precedent”, Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad reports.
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