"The situation in Poland constitutes gender-based violence against women and may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment," said CEDAW Vice-Chair Genoveva Tisheva in a statement released after a three-year investigation into the matter.
Radio Poland's Marcin Matuszewski has more in his audio report - available in our player (red button above and on the left).
Tisheva stated that denying abortion is a discriminatory practice as it restricts a service exclusive to women, and noted that the mental suffering of women has increased since the 2020 Constitutional Court ruling, which prohibited abortions even in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities.
In 2022, Tisheva, along with former CEDAW member Lia Nadaria, visited Poland, where their findings revealed that many doctors refuse to perform abortions due to moral or religious reasons, and access to the procedure is hindered by complicated bureaucracy as well as actions by anti-abortion groups, threats, and denunciations.
CEDAW: Poland's abortion laws amount to gender-based violence and torture
In an inquiry report CEDAW concluded that the criminalisation of assisting women in obtaining abortions, coupled with the very minimal legal exceptions and frequent practical inaccessibility of services, results in the denial of safe and legal abortion to the majority of women in Poland seeking an abortion.
CEDAW reported, that many women forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, seek unsafe clandestine procedures, or travel abroad for legal abortions.
Women in Poland are experiencing severe human rights violations due to highly restrictive abortion laws, which have led to preventable deaths and widespread suffering.
Poland's abortion laws breach human rights and may be considered torture, says the UN Committee
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) found that the criminalization of abortion assistance and limited legal exceptions deny most women access to safe and legal abortions. The restrictive environment, compounded by doctors' fear of criminal liability and moral objections, creates significant barriers to abortion access.
The Committee's report concluded that Poland's restrictive abortion laws not only prevent women from exercising their reproductive choice but also result in suffering that constitutes gender-based violence and may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The committee's full report includes 22 recommendations for improving women's sexual and reproductive health rights in Poland.
Poland rejects abortion reform. PM Tusk rules out referendum
AFP reports that Poland's abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe, with penalties of up to three years in prison for those who help women obtain abortions.
On July 12, the Polish parliament rejected a proposed amendment to the Penal Code that sought to decriminalize abortion assistance and allow abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
On Friday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced at the Campus Polska event that there would be no majority in the current parliament for full legalization of abortion.
PM Tusk also stated that he would not propose a referendum but promised changes in the practices of the prosecution and hospitals instead.
(mp/mm)
Source: PAP/UN/AFP