Warsaw, Poland, Nov 8, 2021 / 15:25 pm
Poland’s Ministry of Health issued a statement Sunday clarifying that an abortion may be performed when the mother’s life is at risk.
The statement comes after protests in several cities across the country after a lawyer suggested its abortion laws are to blame for the death of a 30-year-old woman who died when she was 22-weeks pregnant.
“In the event of a situation that threatens the life or health of a woman (e.g. suspected infection of the uterine cavity, hemorrhage, etc.), it is lawful to terminate the pregnancy immediately,” the statement says, referring to a law passed in 1993, which permitted abortions in cases of rape or incest; if the mother’s life or health was at risk; or fetal abnormality.
In their Nov. 7 statement, the Ministry of Health said it “must be strongly emphasized that doctors must not be afraid of making obvious decisions based on their experience and available medical knowledge.”