Protecting Patients from Anti-Abortion Harassment
In June, anti-abortion groups continued to target patients and medical staff outside Polish hospitals.
One of such actions took place outside a hospital in Lublin, where the Life and Family Foundation organised a “public rosary” following a legal abortion performed at the hospital. The gathering included graphic images.
The Life and Family Foundation alleged that proper medical assistance had not been provided and notified the prosecutor’s office of a suspected crime. In the following days, fundamentalist actors demanded access to medical documentation and to the patient’s data. The hospital refused. A media campaign against the doctors and the hospital followed.
Patients must not bear the consequences of anti-abortion intimidation. Hospitals must be able to provide lawful healthcare without harassment, and patients’ privacy, safety and dignity must be protected.
The need for buffer zones is urgent. Accessing healthcare must not mean being forced to pass through anti-abortion harassment.
FEDERA at the Women’s Health Forum
On 18–19 June, FEDERA took part in the second edition of the Women’s Health Forum at the International Congress Centre in Katowice. The event focused on an interdisciplinary approach to women’s health – from prevention and diagnostics to treatment and long-term care.
Antonina Lewandowska and Mateusz Bieżuński, members of FEDERA’s team, contributed to the Forum’s programme by taking part in expert discussions on key aspects of women’s health. Antonina joined a discussion on women’s sexual health in clinical practice, drawing attention to issues that are still discussed too rarely, to the detriment of patients’ health. Mateusz participated in the panel “Women’s Mental Health – A Silent Crisis.” FEDERA was also an institutional patron of the event.
Meetings between experts, civil society organisations and practitioners are essential for building better, more patient-centred healthcare.
WenDo workshops at FEDERA
On 27–28 June, FEDERA organised a free 12-hour WenDo assertiveness and self-defence workshop for women and people socialised as women.
WenDo is a method of preventing violence against women and girls. It teaches how to recognise, set and defend personal boundaries in different situations – in public spaces, at work, at home and also in contact with the healthcare system.
During the workshop, participants worked on psychological and physical self-defence, assertiveness, responding to violations of rights. The workshop took place thanks to the support of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.
FEDERA at the Equality Town in Warsaw
In June, FEDERA was present at the Equality Town in Warsaw, the community and educational space accompanying the Equality Parade.
At its stand, FEDERA shared educational materials, stickers, condoms and a lot of queer energy. It was an opportunity to talk about sexual and reproductive health and rights in an open, accessible and stigma-free setting.
Participants also had the opportunity to get tested for HIV, syphilis, and HCV – free of charge, quickly and anonymously at FEDERA Health Centre at Świetokrzyska 30 in Warsaw, located right next to the Equality Town.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights include access to reliable information, prevention, testing, contraception, abortion care, protection from discrimination and the right to make informed decisions about one’s body and health. That is why spaces such as the Equality Town are so important: they make knowledge, support and community more visible and more accessible.
