I traveled hundreds of miles to London to have an abortion because of Polish law

Polish MPs voted to pass new abortion liberalization laws through parliament, testing the unity of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition as women impatient for long-awaited reforms.

Poland’s abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe and have sparked widespread demonstrations in recent years. Many women were forced to travel abroad to obtain a gift – including to England.

Some went to great lengths to keep their reasons for traveling a secret – only one revealed I How she arranged to publish photos from a London gallery as a way of providing cover.

The death of 33-year-old Dorota Lalik in May 2023 helped galvanize the female vote in the run-up to last October’s elections. Ms Lalique died of organ failure after her water broke five months into her first pregnancy. Doctors’ initial decision to try to maintain the pregnancy was overturned three days later, but by then her condition had deteriorated beyond saving.

Ms Lalic’s cousin, Ilona Adamczyk, is less confident the situation will improve. “I doubt it – I don’t think the national voice is enough to bring about change.

“It was clear that the fetus had no chance of independent survival; doctors waited for a spontaneous abortion, and sepsis cost me my cousin.”

Tusk won the election on a broad platform, encompassing the views of his political partners from the Catholic right to the liberal left. While they are a natural ally in opposing the right-wing populism of Law and Justice, the debate around reproductive rights has proven challenging.

According to the Ministry of Health, only 161 abortions were performed in Poland in 2022, down from an average of more than 1,000 before the legal and judicial government restricted abortion procedures.

Abortion is banned even in the presence of “serious and irreversible fetal defects or incurable diseases that threaten the life of the fetus,” and 90% of abortions in the country are performed under this provision. A woman can now be required to have an abortion only if her health or life is at risk or if she becomes pregnant as a result of a crime.

Half of Poland’s legal abortions each year are performed on a hospital ward run by Dr. Gizela Jagielska.

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“Medical practice in Poland was feudal and patriarchal, with hospital wards run by men who didn’t want to be in the spotlight,” she said. Doctors can deny a woman’s request for an abortion on conscientious and medical grounds.

The parliamentary vote takes place on Friday. Mr Tusk’s legislation would give women the right to have a safe abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.

Lawmakers have consolidated enough support for four new abortion laws to be considered by parliamentary select committees, but they will then face a presidential veto.

“This situation is not going to improve anytime soon because the president is not going to sign a new abortion law,” Dr. Jagielska said.

Providing abortion assistance is punishable by law. NGOs must tread carefully – organizations providing practical aid often operate abroad, while domestic organizations limit their activities to the dissemination of practical information.

Kamila Ferenz, a lawyer and national court judge known for her work with the Polish Women and Family Planning Foundation (Federa), said: “Women are forced to go abroad. They are afraid to go The doctors were afraid that the police would find out about the abortions and prosecute their families.

“There are prosecution cases where parents have been convicted of helping their teenage daughters.”

However, Polish women are looking for legal options. In addition to domestic “back-alley” abortions, most people order drugs online from international suppliers or seek help at foreign clinics, with around 70,000 to 150,000 abortions believed to be performed each year.

Clinics in Slovakia are the most affordable. Unmarked minivans, usually driven by Slovak nationals, depart from some city centers at night. Pregnant women are transported to these centers via country roads, basic blood tests in hand.

Magda*, 37, a civil servant in a town north of Krakow, saw her health deteriorate after a complicated pregnancy and subsequent self-harm. Raising two daughters strained her family budget, and she worried that her husband would lose his temper if he found out she was pregnant again.

“I made up a story about visiting family, traveling to Krakow early in the morning and waiting for the bus all day,” she recalled of how the driver picked her up outside the train station after 2.30am. There were two other women in the car – and they sat quietly as the vehicle drove toward the southern border.

“We were rushed through the back door and asked to change into gowns,” she said. “We administered anesthesia and it was done within two or three hours.

“The van was waiting for us outside. I was still bleeding, so I sat on a sweater and threw it away when I got back to Krakow and disappeared from sight.”

Post-Brexit Britain remains a viable abortion destination for Poles. Julia*, a 25-year-old social media influencer who suffered from irregular menstruation for much of her adult life due to an eating disorder, only discovered she was pregnant at 21 weeks and found her options limited.

In Western Europe, only England, Scotland, Wales and the Netherlands allow abortion up to the 24th week.

Travel abroad and surgery can be expensive for Polish women, but for Julia the biggest consideration was keeping the surgery secret.

“Some of the brands I promote may terminate our agreements because of negative publicity,” she said. “I’ve arranged the post with photos from the London gallery the day before the surgery to keep up the look.”

Katarzyna Wężyk, journalist and author of this book abortion is (an abortion happens), tell I: “Paradoxically, abortion is very easy to achieve in Poland – because knowledge about how to have one has become so widespread.”

She said a surgical operation in Slovakia costs PLN 2,000, while buying medicine from abroad costs PLN 400, which is about £400 and £80 respectively.

In cases of financial hardship, NGOs can provide assistance, with the Women’s Rights Organization Network proposing a fee of £10 million.

As deaths from doctors’ refusal to terminate high-risk pregnancies continue to be documented, women continue to worry about the harm caused by their doctors’ inaction.

Anna*, 27, from western Ukraine, moved to Poland to study but was stranded by the pandemic and war. As she considered settling down, access to reproductive health services became more of a consideration.

“I was shocked to find out how difficult it is to get an abortion here compared to Ukraine,” Anna said.

In Poland’s eastern neighbor, abortion is legal in all circumstances until the 12th week, and is permitted in all circumstances until the 28th week.

“I didn’t feel safe being pregnant in Poland,” she added.

*Name changed to protect identity