Doctors found guilty over death of pregnant woman in Poland

Three doctors in Poland have been found guilty in connection with the death of a pregnant woman, in a case that has been linked to the tightening of the country's already strict abortion laws.

The woman, identified only by her first name, Izabela, died of sepsis in 2021 when she was 22 weeks into her pregnancy, which had complications.

Her family said life-saving care was delayed because the doctors feared breaking abortion laws. An investigation ruled that was not the case, but they were found guilty of directly endangering her life.

Izabela's death led to nationwide protests under the slogan "Not One More" and her face has become a symbol of the fight for broader access to legal abortion.

Izabela, 30, entered hospital in September 2021 in the town of Pszczyna, southern Poland. Her foetus had already been diagnosed with severe developmental defects but she was not offered an abortion and later died from septic shock following the death of her baby.

According to Polish media reports at the time, Izabela had sent a text message to her mother after being admitted saying: "The baby weighs 485g. For now, thanks to the abortion law, I have to lie down and there's nothing they can do. They'll wait until it dies, or something starts, and if it doesn't, I can expect sepsis."

The hospital later said its decisions were based on concern for the health of the mother and foetus.

The death of Izabela and her baby came months after a Constitutional Court ruling took effect that banned abortions in cases of severe foetal malformation. The overwhelming majority (98%) of all legal abortions in Poland were performed for that reason in 2019, a year before the court ruling.

As a result, abortions could only be performed when the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest or when the mother's health was endangered.

While Izabela's family believed the ruling meant doctors at the hospital were afraid to intervene, an investigation by prosecutors concluded in 2023 that it had no impact on the doctors' actions.

All three doctors were charged with directly endangering Izabela's life.

One of them, identified as Andrzej P, was also charged with causing involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and banned from practicing medicine for six years.

A second, Michal M, was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment and barred from practicing for six years. The third, Krzysztof P, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence and barred from practicing for four years.

The doctors did not admit the charges and can appeal against their convictions.

Following the verdicts, Antonina Lewandowska, national advocacy coordinator for Federa, a women's rights organisation, told the BBC: "No ruling is going to bring Izabela back. It's outrageous the ruling is so mild given the crime presented to the court. Izabela deserved better and the women in Poland deserve better.

"The ruling is a good thing, but justice was only partially served. Such a verdict will not resonate within the medical community which is hesitant about performing abortions to say the least," she added.

In an interview published by the website onet.pl, Izabela's sister-in-law Barbara Skrobol said: "She died consciously, suffering physically and mentally.

"She begged for help, knowing she might die."