Poles protest restrictive abortion law after pregnant woman dies

Several thousand people in Poland have took to the streets to protest against a near-total ban on abortion, which they hold responsible for the recent death of a pregnant woman. Women’s rights groups organized demonstrations in over 50 towns and cities across the country, where protesters chanted slogans and carried pictures of the victim, 33-year-old Dorota Lalik.

Dorota Lalik passed away on May 24 in a hospital in Nowy Targ, southern Poland, three days after being admitted when her amniotic sac ruptured. According to her family’s statement, she died from septicemia after her 20-week-old fetus died in the womb.

Under existing Polish law, a pregnancy can still be terminated if the woman’s life is at risk. However, Lalik’s family claimed that the hospital did not conduct the necessary examinations in a timely manner and failed to inform them about the life-threatening situation.

Lalik’s husband shared with the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that the nurses instructed her to lie down with her legs raised, falsely believing it would cause the amniotic fluid to return. He expressed frustration that no one mentioned the possibility of inducing a miscarriage to save Dorota’s life, considering the slim chances of the child surviving.

Prosecutors have initiated an investigation into Lalik’s death, which is the third case of a pregnant woman dying in the hospital after the loss of their fetus. In 2021, a 30-year-old pregnant woman from Pszczyna passed away, with her family attributing the tragedy to the doctors’ passive approach. A year later, a 37-year-old woman in Czestochowa died a few weeks after losing her 12-week-old twin fetuses.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki cautioned against politicizing Dorota Lalik’s case when questioned about the consequences of the restrictive abortion ban. However, New Left lawmaker Katarzyna Kotula, who participated in the protest in Warsaw, argued that “everything is political when you are a woman in Poland.” She emphasized that women’s pregnancies, in particular, are significantly influenced by political decisions, leading to deaths in Polish hospitals and causing fear among women considering pregnancy.

Julia Cieslak, a 40-year-old protester, held a banner with the message “Stop killing us.” She contended that the law has a chilling effect on doctors, who, out of fear of consequences or personal beliefs, contribute to the deaths of young women and mothers in Poland.

The demonstrations reflect the ongoing controversy surrounding the abortion ban in Poland and the impact it has on women’s reproductive rights and healthcare.