Fighting for justice and women’s rights in Poland has become an integral part of Barbara Skrobol’s life since September 22, 2021.
This was the day her sister-in-law, Izabela Sajbor, died of sepsis at a hospital in southern Poland after doctors refused to terminate her pregnancy after finding foetal defects, due to Poland’s stringent abortion rules.
“Iza was like a sister to me. She was always full of life and was also a role model to her nine-year-old daughter Maja. Her death shook our family”, Skrobol told Al Jazeera.
“When she got pregnant again, the news made all of us very happy. But 22 weeks into her pregnancy, Poland’s new abortion law dictated the course of her life”, she added.
Poland has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. In October 2020, the country’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that abortion due to foetal defects was unconstitutional.
The court added that pregnancies could be terminated only in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger. This legislation was ratified by the Polish government in January 2021....
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