Kaja Godek seeks ‘pro-life’ doctor. Why is their list not publicly available?
Anti-abortion activist Kaja Godek was urgently searching for a ‘pro-life’ doctor. Why is there no access to information about those who have signed the so-called ‘conscience clause’?
On 2 June, anti-abortion activist Kaja Godek posted an emotional plea on X. In the late night hours, she wrote: "Super urgent! Poznan! I am looking for a pro-life doctor from Poznan who will answer the phone now. Preferably a gynaecologist or family doctor. Please DM me."
Kaja Godek was looking for a ‘pro-life’ doctor
The term "pro-life" might imply that any doctor focused on protecting health and life would be suitable. However, given Kaja Godek's efforts to hinder Polish women's access to safe medical care, it seems she may have been looking for a doctor who had previously signed the so-called ‘conscience clause’, allowing them to prioritise their own values over the health and life of a pregnant woman.
This is suggested by another post from Godek in which she wrote: "The baby is unfortunately no longer alive. Before the pro-life doctors intervened, the non-pro-life doctors made a mistake. Rest in peace, angel." Significantly, Godek did not provide any details about the health and safety of the woman carrying the alleged child. Furthermore, her followers did not express any concern for the pregnant woman either.
Should the ‘conscience clause’ signers list be made public?
It's intriguing that despite such dramatic entries, Kaja Godek does not call for a nationwide list of doctors and physicians, especially family doctors and gynaecologists, who do not prescribe contraception, do not deal with in vitro procedures, and do not take into account a woman's opinion, often impacting her health and life, regarding maintaining or terminating a pregnancy. However, there is a short list available on oplodności.pl, it only includes the names of people who have signed up voluntarily, with only six individuals from Poznan listed.
Why don't patients have access to information that can help them determine whether they will be treated by modern medical knowledge or in line with the 'conscience' of the doctor to whom they are referred? While a list of over two thousand individuals, including their names, surnames, and specialities, is available online, only this data can be made available due to GDPR. If signing a 'declaration of faith' is considered private, then the fact that a doctor signed it shouldn't impact how they function publicly.
