STORY: :: File
Polish authorities have fined a hospital for denying an abortion to a woman whose pregnancy may have endangered her life.
It marks a shift in the country with some of the strictest termination rules in Europe.
:: October 2020
The country's previous nationalist government introduced a near-total ban on abortion in 2021.
They were only allowed in cases of rape, incest or threat to the woman's health or life - but even then - doctors could still refuse to perform them on moral grounds.
The issue has sparked massive protests in recent years.
In 2023, women's rights were front and center in the election campaign that ushered in a pro-European coalition government.
It recently introduced a regulation to penalize publicly funded medical centers that refuse legal procedures.
At the Foundation for Women and Family Planning in Warsaw, Antonina Lewandowska explains what happened in this case, to the 41-year-old woman who was 14 weeks pregnant:
"The woman presented a certificate from a psychiatrist, which clearly stated that continuing this pregnancy was a threat to health or life. And this is a sufficient legal basis to terminate the pregnancy."
:: File
The hospital requested more documentation and ultimately refused to perform the abortion.
The woman ended up getting it at a different hospital.
That was unlawful, according to Poland's National Health Fund... which fined the hospital nearly $137,000.
LEWANDOWSKA: "The aggrieved person contacted us as a foundation and informed us about the situation." //
"...we think this is the first of many wins. We currently have a dozen or so cases that are pending before the patient ombudsman or have already been won. It is the beginning or signal of some upcoming change."
:: File
The medical center plans to appeal the decision.
The country's health minister has warned there could be additional penalties coming at other facilities.
