The Life and Family Foundation loses in court!
The appeal against the decision by the Mayor of Gdańsk to disband the anti-abortion demonstration outside St. Adalbert’s Hospital, which took place on 18 January, has been dismissed by the Regional Court in Gdańsk. “Demonstrations” outside hospitals are not freedom of assembly, but a real threat – the reasoning of the Regional Court in Gdańsk confirms what pro-choice and pro-patient organisations have been saying for years. The FEDERA Legal Team submitted an amicus curiae brief in the above proceedings.
Developments in the court case concerning the death of Izabela from Pszczyna
In July 2025, the District Court in Pszczyna found all the defendants guilty of exposing the patient to the risk of loss of life, and one of them also of causing her death through negligence. As a reminder: The obstetrician-gynaecologist on morning duty in the A&E department of the Pszczyna hospital was sentenced to one year and three months’ imprisonment. The doctor on duty in the obstetrics and gynaecology ward received a sentence of one year and six months’ imprisonment. The deputy head of the gynaecology and obstetrics ward was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment, suspended for two years. The court also imposed temporary bans on practising medicine (ranging from four to six years) on all the doctors.
Today, the Regional Court in Katowice increased the sentence against the deputy head of the ward. Krzysztof P. was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment. The remainder of the sentence was upheld.
Victory before the Patient Ombudsman
FEDERA’s client, Anita, whose case we reported on in 2025, has won her case before the Patient Ombudsman. He recommended that the hospital “hold discussions with staff” in the gynaecology and psychiatry wards as well as in the A&E department, and “implement corrective measures to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future”. The hospital has 30 days to respond to this opinion. If it fails to comply with the recommendations, the Ombudsman has announced that he will “take the measures provided for by law”.
“I hope that the results of the National Health Fund’s inspection and the Patient Ombudsman’s opinion will make doctors and other healthcare workers realise that their conduct towards a patient in a complex medical situation is crucial, and that it does not go unpunished. Behind every decision, behind every omission, lies someone’s life, someone’s health and the safety of an entire family,” Anita told Gazeta Wyborcza.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into legal abortions performed at St. Adalbert’s Hospital in Gdańsk.
St. Adalbert’s Hospital in Gdańsk provides care to patients from across the region and – as one of the few facilities – performs abortion procedures in accordance with current law and international medical standards. Doctors working at this facility follow the recommendations of scientific societies and, above all, the best interests and wishes of their patients. Unfortunately, following a complaint lodged by a fundamentalist organisation, the public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the provision of legal abortion services at the clinic
Another Hospital fined after denying legal abortion care
The National Health Fund has imposed a fine of PLN 208,928.73 on the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Łódź. This follows an inspection carried out after an intervention in Ms Anita’s case.
The inspection findings indicated that, in Anita’s case, services were provided in breach of regulations and the contract with the National Health Fund. A violation of the patient’s right to information and the right to services provided with due care was also confirmed.
FEDERA at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70)
Last week, Justyna Faszcza and Aleksandra Magryta represented us in New York as part of two panels: “Gender equality, power, and civil preparedness in Ukraine” and “Against All Odds: Feminist Movements Turning Justice into Power”.
Aleksandra Magryta: “We spoke about the support we provided to female refugees from Ukraine – FEDERA’s activities during the first months of the full-scale invasion, the abortion helpline and the Ukrainian-language helpline, right through to the creation of the Maja chatbot, which you can chat with on our website federa.org.pl in Polish, Ukrainian and English.”
Justyna Faszcza: “We discussed FEDERA’s long-term strategy in the fight for reproductive rights in Poland – strategic litigation, advocacy work, and engagement at global, European and national levels.”
