Polish Activist Convicted For Helping Obtain Abortion Pills

A Warsaw court on Tuesday convicted a women's rights activist for helping a victim of domestic violence access abortion pills in Poland and sentenced her to eight months of community service.
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The case of Justyna Wydrzynska has been closely watched by human rights activists, who believe it will set a precedent in a country with some of Europe's most restrictive abortion legislation.
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A leading reproductive rights organization, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said it was “appalled" that Wydrzynska will now have a criminal record for helping a woman who was in an abusive relationship.
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“We are deeply saddened by the decision and outraged by the entire process. Condemning a person for an act of empathy and compassion towards another human being is inconceivable," said spokesperson Irene Donadio.
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Prosecutors had charged Wydrzynska with “helping with an abortion," a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
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Wydrzynska will appeal the case, according to Polish media reports. She's the co-founder of the Abortion Dream Team, an organization that provides women seeking abortions with information.
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Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, forbids abortion in almost all cases, with exceptions only when a woman's life or health is endangered or if the pregnancy results from rape or incest.
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For years, abortion was allowed in the case of fetuses with congenital defects. However, that exception was struck down by the country's constitutional court in 2020.
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In practice, Polish women seeking to terminate their pregnancies order abortion pills or travel to Germany, the Czech Republic, and other countries where the procedure is allowed. While self-administering abortion pills is legal, helping someone else is not.