THE ANTI-ABORTION LAW IN POLAND

THE FUNCTIONING, SOCIAL EFFECTS, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS

THE REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2000
 Logo - FEDERA
  1. Index
  2. Introduction - Wanda Nowicka
  3. The Effects of The Anti-Abortion Act
  4. Attitudes of The Medical Professionalists Towards Abortion The Report on Research of The Effects of The Family Planning, Protection of Human Fetus and Conditions for Termination of Pregnancy Act - Danuta Duch
  5. Survey Conducted by The Federation Among Doctors, Nurses and Midwives on The Effects of The Anti-Abortion Act - Wanda Nowicka and Agata Zielińska
  6. Attitudes of Rural Women Toward Reproduction Issues Report on The Survey Conducted by RUN - Magdalena Grabowska and Wanda Nowicka
  7. Abortion and Values – The Research Report - Danuta Duch


Introduction - Wanda Nowicka

The Federation for Women and Family Planning conducts research on the actual effects of the so-called “anti-abortion“ law, in the Family Planning, Protection of Human Fetus and Conditions of Termination of Pregnancy Act (1993). The research has been conducted since the very introduction of these regulations. Previous reports were published in 1994 and 1996. The research in the following report was conducted for over a year.

Our goal was a comprehensive presentation of the results of the introduction of these restrictive laws. We concentrated on showing the dynamics of some processes, appearing in the last years. The authors of the report observe that numerous changes have taken place in the approach of medical services, judicial system and other institutions towards the problem of abortion.

In our opinion, there is an enormous need for researching all the phenomena and processes, caused by the serious limitation of possibilities for the termination of pregnancy-- the more that institutions obliged to monitor these processes are not fulfilling their duties in a satisfactory way. The Governmental Plenipotentiary for Family is legally obliged to prepare the yearly report on the realization of statutory regulations. Unfortunately, despite existing legal means, and the access to all information and research required to do so - the government does not show any interest towards assessing the actual effects of the anti-abortion law. The most curious assumption made by the government is its conviction that the law brought planned results, meaning that the number of abortions decreased.

In the opinion of experts in the Poland and abroad, it is absolutely unbelievable that the official number of 151 abortions in Poland in 1999 was anywhere near the actual number, especially when one takes into consideration the number of almost 9 million women in reproductive age and the fact that use of contraception is still not common.

The conclusions presented in the governmental report and the lack of attempts to assess phenomena such as underground abortion, illustrate the government's lack of good will to treat the effects of the regulations on women's situation seriously and with appropriate attention. This disregard of the social, legal and medical outcomes of the ban on abortion, influencing the lives of many women in Poland, deepens negative results and still limits Polish women's access to the medical services relevant for reproductive health. One can only assume that the aim of the government's treatment of these issues, commonly known, but for obvious reasons not presented in official statistics, is to create the illusion effective anti-abortion regulations.

The Federation for Women and Family Planning is the only national organization, which systematically works to assess the problem of abortion in Poland. Because of the ban on abortion in Poland, it is not easy to conduct any research in this particular area. This is why, in order to present as thorough a presentation of the problem as possible, the Federation conducted research in different social and professional groups, using different methods. The medical professions know the problem of abortion better than any other group in Poland, due to direct contact with it. Therefore, two research projects were conducted in this particular group. It is very important to try to find the answer to questions about opinions and social assessment of abortion, about the legal regulations and respect for women's rights in this aspect. The results of these surveys are in Dr Danuta Duch's article. We are also enclosing specific research on women from rural areas, especially important when taking into account that their knowledge and attitudes towards abortion is especially unsatisfactory.

The Federation's Research

The research conducted by the Federation includes:

  • Research conducted by the RUN company on the Federation's request - research in a group of doctors, nurses and mid-wives working in Warsaw (using the method of in-depth interviews),
  • The research conducted by the Federation in the professional medical environment, (questionnaires survey),
  • The survey conducted among women inhabitants of rural areas, commissioned by the RUN Company.
  • The study visits to the Republic of Belarus and Kaliningrad, reconnaissance visits to Holland and Germany (especially to Frankfurt on Oder), the information from non-governmental organizations from Central and Eastern Europe (including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine),
  • The information from women who have experienced negative effects of restrictive anti-abortion regulations (information gathered from letters, meetings, talks in the Help-line for Women, organized by the Federation),
  • The analysis of the press-cuts and press announcements,
  • The analysis of official statistics and data - i.e. the governmental sources, police sources.

The research has lead to the following conclusions, which are contrary to these from the governmental reports:

  • The anti-abortion law did not eliminate the phenomenon of abortion, nor did it limit the problem. The scale of terminations of pregnancies may have reached from 80.000 to 200.000 abortions a year.
  • Illegal abortions are largely conducted in private clinics. This is known as the abortion underground. The termination of pregnancy is very often conducted in a private clinic even when a women is entitled to (lawful), safe and free of charge abortion in a public medical care center,
  • The phenomenon of abortion tourism is still present, but it has indeed significantly decreased, comparing with the Federation's 1996 research. Currently it is more individual rather than organized.
  • Public medical facilities rarely perform abortions, even when legal. Hospitals end to send women away to other hospitals and clinics, making access to lawful abortion significantly harder. The medical staff's attitude towards abortion results from anxieties and fears of possible legal and disciplinary consequences,
  • Knowledge of legal conditions for abortion in a society is highly unsatisfactory, even among medical staff. This seriously influences the situation of women - restricting the access to safe and legal termination of pregnancy,
  • The experience gathered by the Federation during their years of activity in this field shows that the anti-abortion law caused many problems with life and health of hundreds of thousands of women in Poland,
  • Research has led to the conclusion that restrictive abortion regulations have only negative consequences. The Anti-Abortion Act should be changed immediately.

We hope that all the institutions and political circles responsible for the introduction of the anti-abortion law, will take the conclusions of the following report into consideration and as soon as it is possible and undertake the necessary legislative steps.

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