In a 2011 groundbreaking judgment, R.R. v. Poland, the European Court held that Poland’s failure to provide a woman timely access to prenatal genetic testing and information allowing her to make an informed decision about her pregnancy amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. The Court also found that Poland’s failure to establish effective procedures enabling […]
https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/hp_poland-1.jpg For the first time in its history, the European Court of Human Rights specifically found that an abortion-related violation amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment. The Center and its partners filed the case R.R. v. Poland in 2004, and the Court handed down its landmark decision on May 26, 2011. It found Poland in violation […]
(PRESS RELEASE) Today, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Poland violated a woman’s human rights when she was repeatedly denied a prenatal genetic examination after a doctor discovered fetal irregularities during a sonogram. The test would have informed the woman’s decision on whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. For the first time […]
New Resource Highlights Three Cases Against Poland The newest addition to the Center’s Litigation Briefing Series (English version, Polish version) highlights three pending cases against Poland before the European Court of Human Rights: R.R. v. Poland, P &, S v. Poland and Z v. Poland. All three cases highlight the human rights violations suffered by […]
Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. R.R. v. Poland, S &, T v. Poland and Z v. Poland, three pending cases before the European Court of Human Rights, filed by lawyers from the Center of Reproductive Rights, the Federation for Women and Family Planning’s Reproductive Rights Legal Network, and the […]
By Nancy Northup – On Faith guest voice Opinion pages of U.S. newspapers lambasted a decision by St. Joseph’s Hospital, a Catholic institution in Phoenix, over the excommunication and demotion of a nun. Sister Margaret McBride was a head administrator at St. Joseph’s Hospital who compassionately granted a critically ill young woman permission to have […]
On June 4, 2010, during the 14th session of the Human Rights Council, the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Anand Grover, presented reports on Poland and India. The report called on both countries to improve the situation for sexual and reproductive health and rights. The Center proactively participated in the preparation […]
Alicja Tysiąc, a Polish woman, was suffering from severe myopia. Pregnant for the third time, she consulted three ophthalmologists who concluded that carrying the pregnancy to term constituted a serious risk to her eyesight. While they all refused to issue a referral for abortion, which is required under Polish law, a general practitioner finally provided […]
In September 2004, a pregnant woman died as a result of being denied access to medical care for fear of harming the fetus. Her mother, Z., is suing Poland for having violated her daughter’s rights including her right to life, private life, freedom from in human and degrading treatment, effective remedy, and non-discrimination. Filing date: […]
European Court of Human Rights Sets Standards for the Rights of Adolescents to Reproductive Health Services (Updated 04.01.21) The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Poland violated an adolescent’s human rights when her access to a legal abortion after being sexually assaulted was repeatedly obstructed. The Court, for the first, time addressed the special vulnerability of adolescents in need of abortion care and confirmed young people’s […]