– What is happening around abortion in our country is not entirely fair to women. And it's not just about the regulations – said gynecologist Gizela Jagielska in the TVN24 program “You get up and the weekend”. On Friday, the Sejm referred a parliamentary draft amendment to the Penal Code for further work in an extraordinary committee. It assumes partial decriminalization of termination of pregnancy with the woman's consent and decriminalization of assistance in independent abortion.
On Friday, the Sejm referred a parliamentary draft amendment to the Penal Code for further work in an extraordinary committee, which assumes partial decriminalization of termination of pregnancy with the woman's consent and decriminalization of assistance in independent abortion. The project included, among others: a proposal that terminating her pregnancy with the woman's consent in violation of the provisions of the Family Planning Act should be punishable by restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to 5 years only if more than 12 weeks have passed since the beginning of the pregnancy.
Jagielska: “outside the system” abortions should be part of the system
Dr. Gizela Jagielska, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine, spoke about abortion law in our country on TVN24. – Polish regulations on abortion are among the most restrictive in Europe – she said. In her opinion, it is “not right” that Polish women, paying taxes, have to travel hundreds of kilometers within the country or most often go abroad to perform the procedure or order abortion pills through various women's organizations.
– No matter what regulations are passed, abortions will be performed because it is a global experience – said the TVN24 guest. – This is one of the basic medical experiences – added the gynecologist, emphasizing that for her, as a doctor, the most important thing is that such procedures are safe and properly organized.
Dr. Jagielska mentioned that all “non-systemic” abortions should be part of the system. When asked if she had encountered a female drama in connection with having a procedure performed “outside the system”, she replied affirmatively.
– Quite recently, I dealt with a patient who was brought by an ambulance to our hospital, who had a medical abortion quite late in the pregnancy, around the 20th week – recalled the TVN24 interlocutor. The gynecologist added that the patient was admitted to the hospital at night, the police arrived with her, and the prosecutor was in telephone contact with the facility's staff. – This patient left (from here) with such a trauma that she will be treated for the rest of her life. And that's not right, Jagielska said.
According to the doctor, some defects are detected in the second or third trimester and returning to the so-called abortion compromise does not solve the problem of women who learn about a serious fetal defect most often after the 22nd week of pregnancy.
Gizela Jagielska: 80,000 “non-systemic” abortions are performed in PolandTVN24
“Passing a law is not everything”
Jagielska pointed out that the number of “out-of-system” abortions in Poland reaches 80,000. – I would like all these abortions to be in the system because they are performed by Polish women and our state should be responsible for providing us with help in such a situation – said the TVN24 guest.
The gynecologist announced that the provisions in abortion projects must be changed in such a way that actual service for women who want to have the procedure becomes possible. – Behind this there must be the organization of the so-called abortion supply – she said, specifying that, similarly to other countries, “appropriate procedures would have to be created, so-called early pregnancy clinics that would provide such patients.” Jagielska added that “passing the act itself is not everything, you need to think about how it should actually be implemented.”
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