Article by Prof. Barbara Namysłowska-Gabrysiak in the Medical Law Quarterly

We invite you to read the new article by Prof. Barbara Namysłowska-Gabrysiak, a member of our Center, co-authored with Dr Julia Berg-Bajraszewska, “Access to safe abortion for women in Poland – guaranteed by law, absent in practice”.

The article addresses the permissibility of termination of pregnancy in Poland, focusing in particular on the ground of a threat to the pregnant woman’s health. The authors interpret the provisions of the Act on family planning, protection of the human foetus and conditions for the permissibility of termination of pregnancy in the light of international human rights standards, including the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. They also analyse statistical data from Poland and selected European countries, as well as the regulations in force in the United Kingdom. According to the authors, the health ground, interpreted so as to take into account the woman’s mental health in a broad sense, should in practice lead to a significant widening of access to legal abortion services.

The article is available in issue 2/2025 and on the website of the Medical Law Quarterly .