The FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality) and LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) Committees debate in a joint hearing on the consequences of the abortion ban in Poland with Barbara SKROBOL, sister-in-law of Ms Izabela SAJBOR, the first known victim of the de facto abortion ban, Kamila FERENC, Lawyer of FEDERA Foundation, and Caroline HICKSON, Regional Director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network.

Brussels

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

sexual and reproductive health and rights (T)

EU - Poland (T)

hearing

joint hearing

violence against women (T)

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

BIEDROŃ, Robert (S&D, PL)

BARTOLO, Pietro (S&D, IT)

abortion rights (T)

women's rights (T)

Consequences of the de facto abortion ban in Poland - FEMM/LIBE Committees: extracts from the joint hearing

Title: Consequences of the de facto abortion ban in Poland - FEMM/LIBE Committees: extracts from the joint hearing (I-233166)

Arrival of Robert BIEDRON (S&amp;D, PL), Chair of the FEMM Committee

Meeting between Robert BIEDRON (S&amp;D, PL), Chair of the FEMM Committeeand Pietro BARTOLO (S&amp;D, IT), 1 shot

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDRON (S&amp;D, PL), Chair of the FEMM Committee, In Poland, for two years now, we have had a law, which in our evaluation and also to the according to the evaluation of Parliament, is tantamount to the violation of human rights.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDRON (S&amp;D, PL), Chair of the FEMM Committee, We have to say clearly and you will find the same thing in the report from the mission that this legislation, barbaric legislation. I am not afraid to say this, that this barbaric law has also caused victims. We have at least six documented cases of women who simply died because of this barbaric law.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDRON (S&amp;D, PL), Chair of the FEMM Committee, The situation in Poland is that bad that so far, there have never been a country which would lower the standards when it comes to reproductive health rights that much. And this is our situation in Poland too.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Robert BIEDRON (S&amp;D, PL), Chair of the FEMM Committee, This report describes also the situation of Ukrainian women and girls who are fleeing war. They are also escaping from Russian soldiers who rape girls, who rape women. And these women, if they want to use abortion, they are not able to do that in Poland.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pietro BARTOLO (S&amp;D, IT), Vice-Chair of the LIBE Committee, Unfortunately, yet again, we must reiterate that removing democratic checks and balances and undermining fundamental fundamental rights go hand in hand. This is not an abstract problem. It has serious consequences on human life.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pietro BARTOLO (S&amp;D, IT), Vice-Chair of the LIBE Committee, On 27th January 2021, the highly restrictive abortion law entered into force in Poland. Now, this entails a clear risk to women's lives, a risk with potentially deadly consequences, as we've said, and in some cases we have actual cases where this happened.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Barbara SKROBOL, sister-in-law of Ms Izabela SAJBOR, the first known victim of the de facto abortion ban in Poland, My name is Barbara Scrabble, and I'm a sister in law of the late Isabella from Turner. I'm speaking here today on behalf of the family because those closest to Isabella are still grieving, are still in pain. And to this day, they are not able to speak in public about what has happened.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Barbara SKROBOL, sister-in-law of Ms Izabela SAJBOR, the first known victim of the de facto abortion ban in Poland, She had been trying to get pregnant again for three years. When she was 22 weeks pregnant, she got hospitalised and it turned out there was no amniotic fluid in the womb. Edwards syndrome and the high likelihood of fatal feto's abnormalities have been diagnosed. However, she was informed that because of the restrictive anti-abortion law, the doctors were not allowed to terminate pregnancy then.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Barbara SKROBOL, sister-in-law of Ms Izabela SAJBOR, the first known victim of the de facto abortion ban in Poland, I am here to tell you about a story which shows how law can affect the life of one individual. The restrictive law has caused a chilling effect. That's why Isabella died. I was personally told by a doctor that they weren't able to do anything because of the anti-abortion law

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Barbara SKROBOL, sister-in-law of Ms Izabela SAJBOR, the first known victim of the de facto abortion ban in Poland, This new anti-abortion law hurts women. Takes away the human rights, their freedom of choice. Their freedom to decide about their bodies and their lives. Izabela has paid a highest price for this. She paid with her life. Her life was basically taken away from her.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kamila FERENC, Lawyer of FEDERA Foundation, In Poland, contact with the public health care system is just traumatising for all women. The trust between patients and medical staff is lost. As a consequence, women's health, physical and mental as well. Women's life and safety is at risk. On a bigger and bigger scale every day. Which is not only worry fighting in the middle of Europe, but is also the disaster of the modern Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Caroline HICKSON, Regional Director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network, Poll after poll in Poland has shown that Polish citizens are not in line with our government, and their government is deliberately ignoring and writing over the Polish people's wishes. They have continued cynically to push the ban, and as we've heard, when they couldn't get it through the parliamentary process, they turned to the Constitutional Tribunal, whose independence and legitimacy was profoundly eroded and politically compromised. And the only people standing up to them are the brave women and men who come out onto the streets and who protest in hundreds of thousands.

SOUNDBITE (English), Caroline HICKSON, Regional Director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network, The Parliament must hold accountable the European Commission and EU Member States to use all the tools you have at your disposal in this regard. And on a particular note, the response to the Ukraine crisis cannot be used as a get out of jail free card for its abuses of the rule of law.