Activists launch world’s first abortion pill delivery locker in Poland
Access to abortion is tightly restricted in Poland, which has some of the world's strictest laws.
Activists in Poland have installed a groundbreaking abortion pill delivery locker outside the country's parliament building in Warsaw. Dubbed an "abortomat" by the initiative, this automated device offers women access to abortion pills, a procedure traditionally restricted by the nation's stringent abortion laws. The locker, a creation of Women Help Women (WHW) and Abortion Dream Team (ADT), comprises 22 numbered compartments, each accessible via a unique six-digit PIN code.
Recipients can receive the pills via mail, self-administer them at home, or utilize a specialized facility located nearby, which ADT recently inaugurated. The launch of the abortomat aims to provide women with a discreet and legal means to obtain abortion pills, particularly in regions where access is limited due to the country's restrictive abortion laws.
Poland only permits abortions in instances of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is at risk, resulting in a mere 851 legal terminations in the preceding year. Despite the challenges, activist groups like WHW, ADT, and Women on Web (WOW) claim to have aided tens of thousands of women in avoiding unsafe backstreet abortions. However, their efforts are not without legal repercussions; assisting someone in procuring an unlawful abortion is punishable by imprisonment.
In 2023, activist Justyna Wydrzyńska was convicted for this offense, but her conviction has since been overturned on appeal.
Written by urgent.news from Notes from Poland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
