Belgium’s government will provide funding for women in Poland to obtain abortions abroad. The decision follows a Polish constitutional court ruling introducing a near-total ban on abortion in the country, which went into force at the start of this year.
“Access to abortion is a fundamental right that every democratic state must ensure,” says Sarah Schlitz, the Belgian secretary of state for gender equality, equal opportunity and diversity. “When the state fails to protect its citizens, civil society must step in.”
Her words, and news of the funding, were revealed today – on International Safe Abortion Day – by Abortion Without Borders (Aborcja Bez Granic). They announced that the Belgian health ministry and Schlitz’s department are donating €10,000 (46,200 zloty) to help people in Poland obtain abortions.
“The Belgian government not only invites people from Poland in need of abortions to their country, but also intends to pay for these,” said the organisation. “We are grateful and touched, because it is help that people really need…particularly [after] the Constitutional Tribunal ruling.”
Even before that ruling, Poland had one of Europe’s strictest abortion laws, with terminations only allowed in three circumstances: if the pregnancy resulted from a criminal act (such as rape or incest); if it threatened the health or life of the mother; or if a severe birth defect was diagnosed.
The constitutional court, which is widely seen as being under the influence of the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, ruled that the third of those circumstances is no longer permissible. Such abortions previously accounted for around 98% of all legal terminations in Poland.
“We decided to send a strong signal through support for the Abortion Support Network, which provides financial and logistical help to people from Poland who need an abortion in another European country,” said Schlitz. “This allows women to decide about their own bodies, protect their health and not be forced to give up life chances.”
The support makes Belgium the first country whose government has decided to fund abortions for people from Poland, says Abortion Without Borders.
Last year, the Polish embassy in Prague requested that the Czech government intervene to prevent legislation that would make it easier for women from Poland to obtain abortions in the neighbouring country.
Within the first six months after the constitutional court ruling, Abortion Without Borders provided support and advice to more than 17,000 people seeking safe access to abortion, reports Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. That included hundreds of women it helped to go abroad for terminations.
By July this year, the organisation had gathered around 420,000 zloty (€92,000) through crowdfunding and donations since the ruling. Its helpline receives around 800 calls a month.
The organisation’s Natalia Broniarczyk told Onet that the new Belgian support for their work is a “pilot programme” and that, “when the finances run out, we will discuss further support”.
Main image credit: Dawid Zuchowicz / Agencja Gazeta
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
