The Polish parliament has passed a law restricting access to emergency contraception. The delivery of ellaOne is now subject to a prescription in the country.
Women’s rights are taking a step backwards in Poland. The country’s deputies adopted, on May 25, restricted conditions for access to emergency contraception. The ellaOne morning-after pill will only be available with a prescription. The adoption of the text in the Senate is not in doubt. He is mostly conservative.
With this vote, the Conservatives in Parliament can boast of a first success. In accordance with European Union regulations, the Eastern European country had allowed free access to the morning-after pill to women over 15 years of age.
A pill at 30 euros
Among the deputies present, 242 voted in favor of restricting emergency contraception. To support her proposal, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo put forward her best pawns. The Minister of Health and his right-hand man have both publicly taken a stand against the ellaOne pill.
For Konstanty Radziwill, in charge of health at the Polish government, the prescription of the morning after pill is unthinkable, even in cases of rape. As for the Deputy Minister, she believes that hormones in massive doses present a risk for young people.
An argument, of course, unwarranted and false. First of all, according to the Federation for Women and Family Planning, less than 2% of minors have already accessed emergency contraception. Its price is also an obstacle: the stamp costs the equivalent of 30 euros in Poland.
The fight against women
But above all, there is nothing to confirm that the hormones delivered by the morning-after pill present a risk to the health of young women. Le Vidal makes it clear himself : “EllaOne is suitable for all women of childbearing age, including adolescent girls”. The efficacy is the same regardless of the patient’s age. Additional proof of its harmlessness: the molecule has been withdrawn from the French list of poisonous substances in April 2015.
For the Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning, the battle is actually on another level. “This project limits women’s reproductive rights,” says Katarzyna Labedz. In fact, the Polish government has already alarmed by its very conservative positions.
Already in October, the country sparked controversy with a bill intended to ban abortion, with a few exceptions. The deputies finally gave in to the pressure of the street and rejected the text submitted by pro-life associations.
Difficult access to healthcare
However, the Prime Minister has not given up on the battle. Since the beginning of the year, allowances have been offered to women who choose to give birth to a child with a disability or with a genetic disease. It amounts to 4,000 zlotys, or around 1,000 euros, underlines The world. The evening daily also reveals that a group of elected conservatives is preparing to submit a project which “gratifies” professionals using their conscience clause to refuse an abortion.
In the end, restricting the morning-after pill only reinforces the difficulties in accessing healthcare for Polish women. As the Federation for Women and Family Planning reminds us, rare are those who can access a liberal doctor. “Only women who can pay for a consultation with the liberal doctor will be able to obtain the pill,” she warns.
In public structures, waiting times are too long to access emergency contraception. Women risk turning to less safe and less effective alternatives. This should translate into unwanted pregnancies, health complications and unsanitary abortions. A counterproductive result for a government that wanted to reduce the number of abortions.
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