Daily Times

In the wake of Poland’s near-total ban on abortions, the need for support for pregnant women with severe foetal defects is greater than ever but few know there are specialised clinics they can turn to for help.

The founder of the biggest of about 20 perinatal hospices in Poland said that women were often failing to be informed about the palliative care offered by the centres after a diagnosis.

“Patients continue to not be told they have the option of psychological support,” Joanna Szymkiewicz-Dangel, who set up the Warsaw Perinatal Hospice two decades ago, told AFP.

“Doctors themselves don’t know that something like this exists… Some even believe it’s a waste of state funds,” the pediatric and foetal cardiologist said.

For decades in the devout Catholic country, Polish women had the option to terminate a pregnancy after discovering a foetal anomaly.

But the Constitutional Court ruled against abortions in such cases late last year.

The verdict triggered mass protests nationwide and imposed a near-total ban on terminations, with the only exceptions being instances of rape or incest and when the mother’s health is in danger.

Run by an NGO, the Warsaw hospice offers counselling, medical tests and classes on parenting a sick child, helping more than 400 women every year.

It relies on state funds and donations to provide the services free of charge, and in some cases, doctors volunteer their time.

With legal abortion out of the equation, some women diagnosed with severe foetal defects may end up going abroad to terminate or undergoing the procedure illegally.

But for the rest, perinatal hospice care can “ensure the pregnancy continues under the best possible conditions for the woman and child,” Szymkiewicz-Dangel said.

The hospices have recently been the focus of a national billboard campaign.