The issue of abortion in Poland continues to provoke significant controversy. Pro-choice organisations argue that taking abortion pills is safer than taking painkillers. Opponents of the procedure, including Kaja Godek, assert that abortion is murder, a sin, and a crime. However, with the new government, attitudes towards abortion are gradually changing. Although the fight for the full right to abortion is still ongoing, public awareness among Poles on the subject is steadily increasing.

With the new Health Minister in place, there is a noticeable shift in the approach to legal abortion. Currently, employees of the National Health Fund (NFZ) are assessing whether all hospitals in Poland with contracts for gynaecological and obstetric wards are capable of performing legal abortions. This assessment focuses not only on the technical facilities but, more importantly, on the medical professionals prepared to carry out the procedure. The inspections mainly target facilities from which the NFZ has received patient complaints.

In an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, NFZ spokesman Andrzej Troszynski emphasised, "Between 2020 and 2023, we received a total of five such complaints. Two complaints came from hospitals in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. The other three facilities are located in Podkarpacie, Wielkopolska, and Lower Silesia."

The Office of the Patient Ombudsman has received significantly more complaints. In an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, Patients' Rights Ombudsman Bartłomiej Chmielowiec stated, "We received more than a dozen complaints. They mainly concerned hospitals in the eastern part of the country. Non-governmental organisations have also informed us about possible violations of patient rights in this regard at some hospitals."

The issue of the fine for the Pabianice Medical Centre was raised by Izabela Leszczyna at a press conference on Monday, 17 June 2024. The Minister of Health stated, "The NFZ is conducting control proceedings concerning refusals of abortion. One proceeding has already resulted in a fine, and two others are in the final stages. I fear that these cases, too, will justify the imposition of fines."

The Pabianice facility has been fined PLN 550,000 for refusing to perform a legal abortion. The National Health Fund made the decision following an inspection of the medical centre.

The Pabianice Medical Centre disputes the imposed fine. In an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, Adam Marczak, director of the centre, stated, "We strongly disagree with this decision and will appeal. Abortions are performed in our hospital. This particular complaint involves one patient. The doctor refused to perform an abortion because the woman did not provide the necessary documentation to prove eligibility for a legal procedure."

Source: Gazeta Wyborcza