REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN POLAND

Background

      Women's health is not a priority for governmental health programs. The primary healthcare and education systems provide almost no health education. Nor do they promote a concept of health as well-being rather than the absence of disease (the WHO definition of health). In particular, reproductive health counseling and services need considerable reforming. Preventive measures, including counseling on family planning and information on diseases of the reproductive system are almost nonexistent in the public healthcare system, while sex education in public schools is provided to the most insufficient degree. The Roman-Catholic Church, which is very influential in Poland, continues to teach strongly against contraceptive methods other than natural ones.

   As a result, family planning methods are hardly used in the Polish society. Since accurate numbers of contraceptive prevalence are not known (official statistics are not done with this respect), estimates indicate that over 40% of the population has never used any form of birth control and that no more than 8% use modern family planning methods.

   As a result of low contraceptive prevalence, abortion continues to be the primary "family planning" method among Polish women. The anti-abortion law which was in force in Poland since 1993 resulted in many negative consequences for women's reproductive health, such as:

• many women who were entitled to legal abortions were often denied this right in their local hospitals.
• abortions on social grounds were not stopped but simply pushed "underground" as women seeking abortions would find a doctor who performed it illegally or would go abroad.
• the effects of the law were felt primarily on the poorest and uneducated members of the society, as illegal abortions were expensive.

   These deficiencies contribute to the fact that women's health is in poor shape. Lack of knowledge about family planning lowers women's quality of life. Their sexuality is endangered either by constant fear of unwanted pregnancy (reported by many women on the Federation's telephone hotline) or by seeking unsafe and castigated abortion.