Justyna Wydrzyńska sentenced in Poland for abortion‑assistance

Polish doula and reproductive‑rights activist Justyna Wydrzyńska, a co‑founder of the Aborcyjny Dream Team collective, was charged with aiding illegal abortions. Police conducted a September‑2021 raid on her Warsaw apartment, seizing tablets of mifepristone and misoprostol along with electronic devices. In March 2023 a court sentenced her to eight months of community service for alleged assistance with self‑managed abortions, a verdict that remains under appeal.

Poland’s abortion law permits termination only when the pregnant person’s life or health is at risk, or in cases of rape or incest, leading to criminal prosecutions of activists who provide information or medication. Wydrzyńska’s case has drawn criticism from human‑rights groups, who say the prosecution aims to intimidate supporters of reproductive freedom.