Federa news and projects
FEDERA’s SRHR support for Ukrainian refugees
February marks 1 year anniversary of the Russian invasion on Ukraine. FEDERA drafted a rep ort on the activities responding to the needs of Ukrainian refugees as regards SRHR. Among these are:
- LEAFLET ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE FOR WOMEN REFUGEES and information on our legal helpline I Ukrainian and Polish here
- New brochures in Ukrainian and Russian about contraception, emergency contraception, sexually transmitted infections and growing up guide (for adolescents). Links below:
- Contraception: Ukrainian, Russian language versions;
- Emergency contraception: Ukrainian, Russian language versions;
- Sexually transmitted infections: Ukrainian, Russian language versions;
- Growing up guide for adolescents (Ponton): Ukrainian, Russian language versions
- Joint initiative addressing SRHR needs of women and girls fleeing the war in Ukraine
Since June 2022, led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, FEDERA and Feminoteka are the two organisations from Poland that together with other organisations from countries bordering Ukraine have been working together on a project to document the experiences of adult refugee women from Ukraine who needed access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence support services.
- We joined CARE in drafting advocacy brief om Making Funding Work for Women’s Rights Organisations.
For the detailed information about all our activities please check both Polish and English websites, our FB, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Relevant SRHR developments
Justyna Wydrzyńska trial
On 6 February, the fifth trial of Justyna Wydrzynska accused of assisting in abortion was held. Abortion Dream Team activist faces three years in prison for passing the abortion pill which falls under art. 152§2 of the Polish Criminal Code. Wydrzyńska lawyer’s motion to exclude Ordo Iuris from the case as a social party has been rejected. A woman who have received medical abortion pills testified in the court on this date. Next hearing has been scheduled for 14 March.
Anticorruption agents entered private gynecologist’s practice in Szczecin
During unspecified pending investigation, information was obtained indicating probability that the gynecologist in Szczecin assisted in the termination of pregnancies in contravention of the law. On the order of the public prosecutor, anticorruption agents entered her practice and took away the medical files of all patients including their medical histories from almost 30 years. They also seized two laptops and the doctor’s mobile phone.
We are appalled by the disproportionality of measures used in this case. Handling the case shows prima facie unjustified interference in the gynecologist’s practice and may have far reaching consequences for her private and professional life. It is also not clear why all medical files containing sensitive data of all the patients have been confiscated. FEDERA will monitor this case closely.
Media reported on this case at the end of February.
Update on the antigender movement in Poland
In the context of the upcoming legislative elections, Ordo Iuris Institute has published a new publication containing proposals for legislative changes. The presentation of these took place at the headquarters of the Polish Episcopate. The Institute calls among other things for the introduction of a conscience clause for entrepreneurs or pharmacists.
Kaja Godek bill
Civic initiative draft bill branded by Kaja Godek, on the criminalisation of information on abortion will be debated in Sejm on 8 March which is the international Women’s Day. Here is what FEDERA thinks about this bill.