Poland’s abortion culture war is a battle for the country’s soul

This week it emerged that a hospital in the city of Białystok in Poland refused to grant an abortion to a pregnant woman, even though her baby had no chance of survival. The abortion was requested because of the woman’s psychological state after learning about the foetus’s prospects. Although two psychiatrists confirmed she had severe depression, the hospital said this did not meet the level of risk required for an abortion under Polish law, after a ruling by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal last year made it illegal for doctors to carry out abortions unless a woman’s life is at risk or if the pregnancy is the result rape or incest.

Overnight, the woman’s case became the latest flashpoint in a fierce debate raging in Poland over the country’s strict abortion laws and the role of faith in Polish politics. Poland’s United Right government has made headlines for questioning the primacy of the European Court of Justice and raising the possibility of a ‘Polexit’ from the EU in recent weeks.