Violation of the right to abortion at the time of the war in Ukraine

Andrea Cioffi; Camilla Cecannecchia; Fernanda Cioffi

doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100738

Violation of the right to abortion at the time of the war in Ukraine

Sex Reprod Healthc. 2022 Sep:33:100738. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100738. Epub 2022 May 27.

Authors

Andrea Cioffi¹, Camilla Cecannecchia², Fernanda Cioffi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopaedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: an.cioffi19@gmail.com.
² Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopaedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
³ Fertilitas Day Surgery Reproductive Medicine, Salerno, Italy.

PMID: 35640526
DOI: 10.1016/j.srhc.2022.100738

Abstract

Abortion is still a controversial medical practice. One country where it is not possible to have an abortion freely is Poland. During the war between Russia and Ukraine, many Ukrainian women became pregnant due to rape. These women, refugees in Poland, have asked for an abortion; however, under Polish law, it is not possible to have an abortion if the rape has not yet been legally recognized. This situation is causing a very serious violation of the fundamental rights to the health and self-determination of Ukrainian women. It will be necessary to implement all possible international measures to allow these women to abort freely.

Keywords: Abortion; Poland; Russia; Ukraine; War.

MeSH terms

Abortion, Induced*
Female
Humans
Poland
Politics
Pregnancy
Rape*
Ukraine