Banned, Silenced, Controlled: The Fight for Reproductive Justice in Poland and Beyond

Written By Ann ie

⚠️ Trigger Warning (TW):
This post discusses abortion, reproductive rights, state control of women’s bodies, medical trauma, sexual violence, and maternal mortality. Please take care while reading.

Reproductive rights are often framed in narrow terms: the right to access contraception, or the legal status of abortion. But at its core, reproductive justice is not just about choice—it’s about power. It’s about who has the right to control their body, their future, and their place in society. And increasingly, that right is under attack.

As a Polish woman, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when reproductive freedom is stripped away. The 2020 abortion ban in Poland didn’t just change the law—it shattered lives, violated dignity, and sent a chilling message to every person who can get pregnant: Your body belongs to the state.

This blog post explores the current state of reproductive rights in Poland, situates it within the global landscape, and makes the case for why reproductive justice must be central to any feminist movement today.

Reproductive Justice: More Than Just the Right to Choose

The term reproductive justice was coined in 1994 by Black women activists in the U.S. who recognised that the mainstream pro-choice movement failed to account for the lived realities of marginalised people. It is defined by three core rights:

  1. The right to have children

  2. The right to not have children

  3. The right to parent children in safe and sustainable communities

Reproductive justice connects abortion access to racial, economic, and gender justice. Because the question is never just “can you get an abortion?”—it’s “can you afford one?”, “will you be criminalised for it?”, “will you survive childbirth?”, and “will your child have a future?”

The Crisis in Poland: When Abortion Is a Crime

In October 2020, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal—effectively controlled by the right-wing PiS (Law and Justice) party—ruled that abortions due to fetal abnormalities were unconstitutional. This decision eliminated over 90% of legal abortions in the country.

⚖️ What the Law Says Now:

Abortion in Poland is now only permitted in two cases:

  • When the pregnancy threatens the life or health of the pregnant person

  • When the pregnancy results from rape or incest

Even in these cases, access is often blocked by delays, bureaucracy, or outright refusal. Many doctors invoke the “conscience clause,” refusing to perform abortions on religious or moral grounds.

📊 The Impact: The Numbers Tell a Story

  1. Poland recorded just 161 legal abortions in 2022—in a country of nearly 38 million.

  2. An estimated 80,000 to 200,000 Polish women seek illegal or foreign abortions every year (Federacja na rzecz Kobiet i Planowania Rodziny).

  3. 34% of Polish women seeking abortions travel abroad—mostly to the Netherlands, Germany, and Czech Republic.

  4. At least six women have died since 2021 because doctors delayed care for fear of violating the abortion ban, including Izabela from Pszczyna, whose water broke at 22 weeks. Doctors waited until the fetus died to act. By then, so had she.

This Is Not About “Life”—It’s About Control

Anti-abortion rhetoric in Poland—like in many countries—is built on the language of morality, family, and “protecting life.” But what about the lives of women? Survivors of rape? Girls forced to carry pregnancies? Mothers abandoned by the healthcare system?

The truth is, these laws are not about life. They’re about controlling women’s bodies, punishing autonomy, and upholding patriarchal power.

And it’s not just Poland.

A Global Rollback of Reproductive Rights

🇺🇸 United States

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the federal right to abortion after nearly 50 years. As of 2024:

  • 21 U.S. states have banned or severely restricted abortion access.

  • Some states are criminalising people who help others travel for abortions.

  • Women are being denied miscarriage care out of fear that doctors could face prison time.

🇭🇳 Honduras

Abortion is completely banned, with no exceptions. Women can face prison for miscarriage. Emergency contraception is also illegal.

🇸🇻 El Salvador

One of the most extreme abortion laws in the world. Over 180 women have been jailed in the last two decades for pregnancy-related “crimes.”

🌍 And globally…

  • Only 37% of women of reproductive age live in countries where abortion is completely legal.

  • An estimated 25 million unsafe abortions take place every year, leading to 39,000 preventable deaths and millions of injuries (WHO).

Reproductive Injustice Is Racial, Economic, and Gendered

In every country, abortion bans and restrictions hurt the most marginalised people the most:

  • Poor women can’t afford to travel for care or pay for private services.

  • Rural women have fewer clinics and longer wait times.

  • Disabled women face discrimination and coercion in reproductive healthcare.

  • LGBTQ+ people face erasure, medical bias, and unsafe conditions.

  • Migrants and asylum seekers often lack legal access to abortion or maternal care.

When we talk about reproductive rights, we must also talk about maternal mortality, forced sterilisation, criminalisation of miscarriage, and the denial of bodily autonomy in prisons, hospitals, and refugee camps.

The Polish Resistance: Women Will Not Be Silent

In the face of cruelty, Polish women have risen.

  • Strajk Kobiet (Women’s Strike) mobilised mass protests across the country in 2020–2021, with millions taking to the streets under the slogan: “This is war.”

  • Grassroots abortion networks like Abortion Without Borders and Ciocia Basia now help women travel safely or access pills online.

  • Doctors and midwives are increasingly speaking out against government repression.

  • Young people, especially Gen Z, are rejecting the church’s influence and demanding secular, feminist governance.

This is not just a legal fight—it is cultural, spiritual, and generational.

What Reproductive Justice Looks Like

Reproductive justice isn’t just about access—it’s about equity. It means:

  • Free, legal, and safe abortion on demand.

  • Universal access to contraception and fertility care.

  • Comprehensive, inclusive sex education.

  • Support for parenting—including maternity leave, childcare, and protection from domestic violence.

  • Freedom from coercion, shame, and state surveillance.

Conclusion: Bodily Autonomy Is Non-Negotiable

At Sisters for Justice, we believe that no state, no court, no church, and no politician should decide what happens to our bodies.

We believe that being pro-choice isn’t enough. We must be pro-justice. That means fighting for every person’s right to not just survive, but to thrive. To choose when and whether to parent. To access healthcare without shame. To live with dignity.

Poland is not an outlier. It is a warning. But it is also a beacon—because despite fear, Polish women are organising, resisting, and building a new future.

And we are not alone.

💜 If You Need Support

Here are some organisations supporting reproductive justice in Poland and beyond:

  • Abortion Without Borders
    abortion.eu – Helps people in Poland access safe abortion care abroad or by mail.

  • Ciocia Basia
    ciociabasia.org – A Berlin-based group helping Polish people access abortion services in Germany.

  • Federacja na rzecz Kobiet i Planowania Rodziny (Poland)
    federa.org.pl

  • Women Help Women (International)
    womenhelp.org

  • Abortion Support Network (UK-based, helps EU residents)
    abortionsupport.org.uk

Ann ie