Backlash against women's rights in Poland, including sexual and reproductive health and rights – findings of FEMM delegation to Poland. Press conference by Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Chair of FEMM Committee. Additional statements by Urszula GRYCUK, Vice-President of the FEDERA Foundation for Women and Family Planning Jolanta BUDZOWSKA, lawyer of the family of Izabela Sajbor, the first known victim of the abortion ban in Poland.This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

press conference

sexual and reproductive health and rights (T)

EU - Poland (T)

BIEDROŃ, Robert (S&D, PL)

women's rights (T)

Press conference on the backlash against women's rights in Poland by Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Chair of FEMM Committee

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&amp;D, PL), Ladies and gentlemen, just like you heard, this conference is about the findings of our mission to Poland, which was held on the second through the fourth of November and it is related to the situation of Polish women. Polish women, who are following the decision of a constitutional tribunal from two years ago were deprived of their right to their human rights.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), To members of the Commission were to analyse the situation, the gravity of the situation. And when it comes to the decision of the tribunal, we had to six cases of women who died because of this decision of the constitutional tribunal. So the aim of the mission was to analyse the gravity of the situation and the status of sexual and reproductive health rights. Also within the context of what is happening in Ukraine, we have a lot of Ukrainian women in Poland. This is also very important.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), They were deprived to access to reproductive health rights. And it was also linked to the 30th anniversary of the Polish legislation on abortion, which was one of the most restrictive, not only in Europe, but also in the world.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), And today in the afternoon, LIBE and the FEMM committee will hold a joint hearing on this topic. Today in the afternoon, we will be discussing the consequences of the de facto abortion ban in Poland. As you know, the European Parliament had two resolutions. The latest resolution was one of the reasons why we organised our mission to Poland. So, the mission was composed of the members of different political groups from Parliament, Fred Matic, from S&D, was head of the delegation.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), We had meetings with the representatives of the government, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Family, the Committee of Family Policy, members of the Polish Parliament. We also met with the opposition. We also met with a group for the rights of women in the Polish. Same with the senator's opposition. But we also met the NGOs and the former ombudsman.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to the findings, first of all, we have a very diverse situation of what is happening on one hand to we receive information from NGOs, from opposition. And according to this information, the rights of women are violated. On the other hand, to the government, to people in power claimed that everything is fine.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), For example, we have received information. This is that the access to legal abortion is very limited to this is what NGOs are telling us. For example, this year we had 107 legal abortions conducted in Poland. I would like to remind you that Poland has a population of almost 40 million people. Half of them are women. So there is no abortions.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), There is no legal abortions, if you like. Very often this also refers to abortions as a result, of rape. I would like to remind you that we have a lot of women, refugees from Ukraine who are victims of rape in Ukraine. And in Ukraine access to abortion is larger than in Poland. So from one hell, they come to another hell in terms of abortion.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), This draconian law, and this is yet another finding of this report also causes the so-called to chilling effect on the part of doctors. And doctors are simply afraid they refuse to conduct abortion. As a result, so far, we had six recorded cases of deaths. And there is also a new thing, a register of pregnancies. This register is used to to persecute women. This register may lead to a situation, where still born children in this case may be penalised and the women may be questioned on that.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), On the other hand, to the government claims that access to legal abortion is not limited. There is no question of withdrawing from international conventions, including Istanbul convention and the so-called LGBT free zones, because during the mission, we also dealt with this issue, according to the government, these zones do not exist. And this is fake news according to our government.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), When it comes to the recommendations, first of all, the committee calls upon all Member States to participate and to support the universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights, including abortion. We also call upon the European Commission to provide all citizens with their rights to sexual and reproductive health for all the women in the EU, including Polish women, including the right to abortion in the next EU health strategy.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), The Commission, the Council should provide to for this efficient financing for domestic and national NGOs in order to promote democracy rule of law in a Member State. If you also call upon the Commission to support programmes and to polish NGOs and all those organisations that fight for the provision of sexual and reproductive health rights.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), We also want to improve cooperation between Member States so that this access to abortion is easier also abroad. For example, providing Polish women with the possibility to have a free and safe abortion also abroad in the EU. And just a moment ago that there was a different conference held within the context of Article seven on Hungary.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), When it comes to Poland, the committee, thinks that the Council should deal with this issue, also with other accusations when it comes to violation of fundamental rights in Poland. In that case, one case of this violation of these rights is the lack of access to abortion or in line with Article seven, paragraph one of the Treaty of the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), And the last issue that Council and the Commission should be the guardians of the treaty. When it comes to access to health, the women should not be left to their own devices. The Commission, the Council should take decisive steps and should to react if there is new legislation or new attempts aimed at reducing access to a health care, including abortion.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Ladies and gentlemen, so today we will be holding a public hearing of joint FEMM and LIBE committees and we will adopt the report from the mission, but also the recommendations while awaiting the concrete steps in order to secure the rights of women.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), I would like to remind you that Polish women have fewer rights and now than in 2004 when we joined the European Union. This is unacceptable. European Parliament, the Commission should not accept this situations. Hence this position of European Parliament and our committee. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Good afternoon, I am a lawyer of the family of Mrs Sajbor, in all kinds of different court proceedings. I would like to remind you how she died. And Isabella, Cyber died on the 22nd of September 2021. One day earlier in the morning, she came to the hospital, in the 22 week of pregnancy, her death was confirmed.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), On the following day, she was going to be operated, but the doctors waited until the foetus had died and that's why they didn't want to save the mother. So it is absolutely clear that she did not receive the necessary medical help and the foetus should have been removed to avoid infection. There are already indictments of several doctors, but the prosecution is examining the case onl and and in terms ofmedical error.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), But we think and the family thinks that it is important to include the motivation of the doctors they informed Isabella that they have to wait until the foetus had died, because they said that what the law says. Right now, the doctors claim that to perform a legal abortion the mother must be directly informed of risk of dying.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), So, you know that there have been many protests in Poland in connexion with the law, because we claim that the provisions in force effect the health and lives of women. And so the law in this respect should be changed. The law that violates human rights and the rights to health and life should be changed.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Thank you very much. Good morning. During the protests, that brought thousands of people on the streets of Poland following the death of Isobella, as Jolanta just mentioned, we were holding the banners with her picture and the slogan, not one more. We are here today, after more than two years since the inhuman ruling of the compromised constitutional tribunal in Poland.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), And unfortunately, I have to tell you that there were many more cases, where women have died as a result of lack of life saving abortion. The cases of Justina and Marta were very similar to Isobella case. The doctors were procrastinating with the decision to induce the stillbirth, and these women died of sepsis infection. We will talk more about each of these three cases today at the hearing.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Moreover, at least at FEDERA, we are sure that there might be many more cases, which went unreported. Because about the three ones just mentioned, we didn't learn in real time, we learnt long after. Apart from creating this direct threat to our lives and health after constitutional tribunals ruling, we are experienced in Poland, drastic decrease in prenatal testing.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), Doctors often just don't refer to prefer prenatal tests or they don't provide sufficient explanation of the results. There is a general decrease of standards in genealogical patient care. Women fear to get pregnant for lack of access to adequate pregnancy care. More children are born with severe and foetal defects and die shortly after the birth. The psychological burden of which women are carrying. And in the situations where they decide to give birth to to ill children, the families are barely provided with any State Assistance.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), These all are very systemic and persistent violations of our fundamental rights. Right to health, right to safety, right to privacy, right to family life, right to be free from torture and inhuman and degrading treatment. The ongoing scrutiny of Poland by the EU institutions should include that perspective of the violations happening to Polish women. And be linked to the ongoing crisis of the EU values and the rule of law, obviously.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL), We want all Polish women to have access to free, safe and legal abortion on the territory of the EU. We call on the European institutions to be ambitious, to secure the right of abortion in the EU treaties as a human right. Because we see what happens when this right is not respected. We call on abortion to be included in the EU health and equality policies, because Polish women should not be left alone by the EU community. Thank you so much.

Q&amp;A Regarding doing an abortion abroad and legal consequences of coming back to Poland afterwards.

Q&amp;A Regarding rape and having proof of it to get a legal abortion.

Q&amp;A Regarding legal recourse the Council should have. Second question regarding the different transatlantic organisations and their aspects.