The death of a pregnant woman while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Poland has reignited debate over the country’s strict abortion laws. “Every woman in Poland has the right to an abortion if her health or life is at risk,” Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said in Warsaw today. Women’s organizations called for demonstrations across the country on Wednesday.
The reason for the protest is the death of a 33-year-old pregnant woman at the hospital in Nowy Targ, southern Poland. The woman died of sepsis on May 24. Three days earlier, she had been admitted to the clinic at 20 weeks pregnant after leaking amniotic fluid.
Serious allegations against doctors
Nurses told the wife to stay still with her legs raised because the amniotic fluid would form again, the husband reported to “Gazeta Wyborcza”. Although the condition of the expectant mother was constantly deteriorating, she complained of headaches and vomiting, the doctors remained inactive.
“No one told us that it was possible to have an abortion and save Dorota because the chances of the baby surviving were minimal or non-existent,” her husband Marcin told the newspaper.
Women’s organizations raise serious accusations against attending physicians. Because of the strict abortion law in Poland, they would not dare to save the woman’s life through an abortion.
Patient Representative: Several rights ignored
Poland’s patient ombudsman, Bartlomiej Chmielowiec, said hospital staff ignored several of the patient’s rights, including the right to information about the patient’s health and the right to access up-to-date medical knowledge.
In 2021, stricter abortion laws came into effect in Poland after a controversial ruling by the constitutional court. Since then, women cannot have an abortion, even if the embryo has serious malformations.