I went to London for an abortion, scheduling online posts from galleries as cover
Polish MPs have voted to move new laws liberalising abortion through parliament, testing the unity of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition, with women impatient for long-awaited reforms.
Poland’s abortion laws are among the most restrictive in Europe and have sparked widespread demonstrations in recent years. Many women have been forced to go abroad to obtain one – including to the UK.
Some go to great lengths to keep the reason for their trips secret – with one telling i how she has scheduled posts of photos from London galleries as a way of providing cover.
The death of 33-year-old Dorota Lalik in May 2023 helped to galvanise women’s votes in the lead-up to last October’s elections. Ms Lalik died from organ failure after her waters broke five months into her first pregnancy. Doctors’ initial decision to attempt to sustain the pregnancy was reversed after three days, but her condition by then had already deteriorated beyond rescue.
Ms Lalik’s cousin, Ilona Adamczyk, has little confidence in the situation improving. “I’m sceptical – I don’t think the voice of the nation is potent enough to lead to a change.
“It was clear that the foetus had no chance of survival on its own; the doctors waited for a natural miscarriage, and sepsis has deprived me of my cousin.”
Mr Tusk won the general election on a broad platform, encompassing his political partners’ views ranging from Catholic right to liberal left. Though a natural alliance in their opposition to the Law and Justice party’s brand of right-wing populism, the debate around reproductive rights has proven challenging to navigate.
According to health ministry data, only 161 abortion procedures were performed in Poland in 2022 – down from an average of more than 1,000 before the Law and Justice government restricted access.
Abortions were banned even where there exists a “severe and irreversible fetal defect or incurable illness that threatens the fetus’ life”, a provision under which 90 per cent of all the country’s procedures were performed. Women can now only be prescribed abortions if their health or life is endangered, or when the pregnancy results from a crime.
Half of all the abortions performed legally in Poland every year take place in a single hospital ward, run by Dr Gizela Jagielska.
“The medical practice in Poland is feudal, patriarchal, hospital wards are governed by men who don’t want to be in the spotlight,” she says. Doctors are permitted to turn women’s requests for abortions down on conscience and medical grounds.
The vote in parliament took place on Friday. Mr Tusk’s legislation would give women the right to safe abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
MPs have consolidated enough support for four new abortion laws to be considered by a special parliamentary committee, but they will later face a presidential veto.
“This situation isn’t going to improve any time soon because the President isn’t going to sign new abortion laws,” says Dr Jagielska.
Providing aid in obtaining abortions is punishable by law. NGOs have to tread carefully – those providing actual assistance often operate from abroad, while domestic organisations limit their activity to distributing practical information.
Kamila Ferenz, a lawyer and state tribunal judge known for her work at the Foundation for Women and Family Planning (Federa) in Poland, says: “Women are forced to go abroad. They are afraid of visiting doctors, afraid that police will find out about their abortion, and prosecute their families.
“There have been cases of prosecution where parents were convicted for aiding their teenage daughters.”
However, Polish women are finding legal avenues. Away from domestic, “back-alley” abortions, most order medication online from international suppliers or seek help at foreign clinics, with around 70,000 to 150,000 abortions thought to be performed annually.
Slovakian clinics are the most budget-friendly. Small vans, unmarked and usually driven by Slovak nationals, leave from some urban centres by night. Pregnant women are ferried through country roads and dropped off at these centres rudimentary blood work in hand.
Magda*, 37, a civil servant from a small town north of Kraków, saw her health deteriorate after a complicated pregnancy and subsequent self-harm episode. Bringing up two daughters had strained her household budget and she feared her husband’s temper should he discover she was pregnant again.
“I’ve made up a story about visiting my family, travelling to Kraków early in the day and waiting for the bus all day,” she says, recalling how a driver picked her up outside the railway station after 2.30am. Two other women were on board – they sat in silence as the vehicle made its way to the southern border.
“We were rushed through the back door, and asked to change into gowns,” she says. “We’ve had anaesthesia and were done within two or three hours.
“The van waited for us outside. I still bled, so I sat on a jumper, and threw it out once back in Kraków and out of sight.”
The UK remains a viable abortion destination for Poles post-Brexit. Julia*, 25, a social media influencer who suffered irregular periods for most of her adult life due to an eating disorder, has only discovered she was pregnant at 21 weeks in and found her options limited.
In western Europe, only England, Scotland, Wales and the Netherlands allow abortion procedures up to week 24.
The cost of travel and surgical procedures abroad can be prohibitively expensive for Polish women, but for Julia, the biggest consideration was keeping the procedure secret.
“Some of the brands I promote would have cut our agreement due to negative publicity,” she says. “I’ve scheduled posts with photos from London galleries from the day before for the time of the procedure, to keep up the appearance.”
Katarzyna Wężyk, a journalist and author of the book Aborcja jest (Abortion Happens), told i: “Abortion in Poland, rather paradoxically, is very accessible – because the knowledge of how to do it has become very common.”
She said a surgical procedure in Slovakia costs 2,000 Polish złoty, while pills from abroad cost 400 złoty – about £400 and £80 respectively.
In cases of economic hardship, NGOs can assist, with a network of women’s rights organisations placing the bill at £10m.
With documented deaths when doctors refused to terminate high-risk pregnancies, fear of harm due to doctors’ inaction is always on women’s minds.
Anna*, 27, from western Ukraine, moved to Poland to study and became stranded by the pandemic and war. As she considers settling down, access to reproductive health services has become more of a consideration.
“I was shocked to discover how difficult it is to get abortions here compared to Ukraine,” says Anna.
In Poland’s eastern neighbour, abortion is legal on all grounds up until week 12, and permitted under a variety of circumstances up to 28 weeks.
“I wouldn’t feel safe getting pregnant in Poland,” she adds.
*Names changed to protect identity
