WARSAW, Poland — A Polish appeals court announced on Thursday that it will issue a decision next month concerning a women’s rights advocate who was convicted earlier this year for supplying abortion pills to another woman.
The three-judge panel described the case as complex and stated that the ruling would be postponed until February 13.
The activist, Justyna Wydrzynska, was found guilty in March 2023, leading to a sentence of eight months of community service for sending abortion pills to a woman in need.
Due to Poland’s stringent laws against aiding abortion, such actions can lead to a prison sentence of up to three years.
Wydrzynska has challenged her conviction, claiming that one of the judges involved lacked impartiality during the proceedings.
In a statement to the Court of Appeal in Warsaw on Thursday, Wydrzynska expressed her belief in her innocence, noting that the woman who received the pills also felt she was not at fault.
The recipient of the pills, who has not been charged, already had a child and was reportedly restricted by her partner from traveling abroad to obtain an abortion.
It has been alleged that her partner initiated a complaint to the authorities regarding the situation.
Outside the courthouse, around a dozen supporters gathered, voicing their encouragement for Wydrzynska.
Activists argue that the outcome of this case could set an important legal precedent in a nation known for its rigorous anti-abortion laws.
In Poland, which is largely a Catholic country, abortion is permitted only under specific circumstances: when a woman’s life or health is in jeopardy or in cases of rape or incest.
