Doctor’s Role in Protection of Dignity and Human Life in Poland

1. Doctor’s Role in Protection of Dignity and Human Life in Poland Marek Kośmicki & Joanna Mazan The Catholic Association of Polish Doctors & Federation Life Warsaw, Poland 10th Congress of FEAMC – New Challenges for Medicine and Health Care in Europe – July 1-4, 2004; Bratislava, Slovak Republic

2. „A nation that kills its own children is a nationwithout a future”John Paul II • In our times many countries in the world witness intensive battles between the culture of life and the culture of death. • A good example of such struggle between different attitudes towards life is our country – Poland.

3. April 27, 1956, the Act regulating conditions for permitting abortion The Act allowed for abortion under three circumstances: • Hard living conditions meaning the so-called ‘social reasons’*, • When there was a suspicion that the pregnancy was a result of crime, • Medical advice. ............. *Social reasons were of the greatest importance, as in practice it meant the lack of any restrictions with regard to abortion, i.e. ‘abortion on a woman’s request’.

4. The media, which were almost completely controlled by the state, promoted only the positive attitude towards abortion. The main argument of the state propaganda was the woman’s ‘liberation’ from the necessity of giving birth and parental burden. Legal abortion was to be a symbol of progress and a benefit offered by a ‘socialist government’. Many doctors who objected to carrying out the procedures stipulated by the Act were dismissed from work. Young doctors who refused to perform abortion were barred from practising obstetrics and gynaecology. Over this 35-year period, it caused a certain negative selection of candidates to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology: Only a doctor who did not oppose carrying out abortion could become a gynaecologist. A gynecologist who had no objections to performing abortion in his department could become and remain the head of department. 1957-1992

5. Birthrate in Poland (1950-2002) source: Central Office of Statistics

6. ‘Care of Life’, Lublin & Katowice; ‘Gaudium Vitae’; ‘S.O.S’; ‘Pro Familia’, Warsaw; Prayer Crusade, Cracow; Pro-Life branch of Polish Doctor’s Association. Currently, those NGO’s are joined into the Polish Federation of Pro-Life Movements, recently called briefly ‘Life Federation’ Doctors were and are involved as consultants and authors of pro-life literature. Doctors are also involved in concrete support of families and single mothers in need. Pro-life organisations played a key role in changing the social mentality to be more geared towards protecting life. Pro-Life movements in Poland1970’s – to date

7. Change in social mentalitytowards pro-human life attitude in Poland, 1980’s/90’s It was most difficult, but a very important action. Without such change of public opinion’s attitude, no changes in state legislation would be approved by the society. People had to be prepared to the new law concerning into such extent their private lives.

8. January 7, 1993, a new Act on family planning, protection of human foetus , and conditions for permitting the interruption of pregnancy. The new Act limits abortion to three conditions: • Pregnancy is a threat to the life or health of the mother • Conception is a result of crime (rape or incest) • Child is gravely ill.

9. A modification of the Act in August 30, 1996, allowing for abortion on social grounds. Manifestations against the modification of the Act were organised. A praying sit-down protests infront of the clinics where abortions were carried out. Three million outcries were sent to the Senate opposing the modification of the Act. 1996-97 Abortion on demandis legal again

10. May 28, 1997, the Constitutional Tribunal:„Human life from conception is a value protected by the Constitution” „The law cannot be conflicting with the absolute human right to life from the moment of conception till natural death and the state cannot give this right but has the duty to accept and to protect it”. The Constitutional Tribunal, Poland, 1997 The Act was brought back in the original version from 1993, which meant that ‘abortion on request’, i.e. on the social grounds was illegal.

11. 2003 – 10thanniversary of passing a bill on family planning and protection of human foetus The aim of the bill is care for the mother’s and child’s life and health as fundamental welfare. In 1993-2003 : • The number of abortions has decreased. • There is a systematic decrease in: a. the number of deaths of women during pregnancy b. the number of miscarriages c. the still births ratio d. the infant mortality rate.

12. Abortions recorded in Poland 1980-2002 source: Council of Ministers report of executing in 2001 the Act made on January 7, 1993 and Department of Healthand Social Security report for the year 2002

13. The number of deaths of mothersin Poland, 1991-2000 source: Council of Ministers report of executing in 2001 the Act made on January 7, 1993

14. The number of miscarriages in Poland, 1990-2001 source: Council of Ministers report of executing in 2001 the Act made on January 7, 1993

15. At present,labor and discussions are taking place in the Polish Parliament (Sejm) on introducing changes to the bill which protects life. More emphasized by the media are the opinions propagating again the legalization of abortion due to social reasons. However, there are other possibilities under discussion limiting the exceptions to the prohibition of abortion, for example due to congenital defect diagnosed during pregnancy. Present situation, 2004 - we cannotconsider solutionsfrom the year 1993to bedefinitive

16. The new amended version of the Medical Ethics Code, Poland 2004 The Medical Ethics Code, 2004 includes: • Provisions barring doctors from euthanasia (article 31) • Insisting that in treating a pregnant woman a doctor is also responsible for the health and life of her child (art. 39) • Forbidding doctors from participation in human cloning, whether reproductive or therapeutic (art. 39a) • Forbidding scientific experiments on human subjects in their embryonic stages and restricting therapeutic experiments on human embryos only to such instances where the foreseen health benefits to the embryo significantly outweigh the health risks to the embryo (art 45)

17. The preliminary position that the Polish government has adopted (2004), allows for the use of human embryonic stem cells. The Chief Medical Council has stated its view (2004) that it is illicit to harvest stem cells from human embryos. Present discussion in Poland, 2004

18. Present discussion in Poland, 2004 The chairman of the Chief Medical Council There are no ethical contraindications for medical objectives to using human embryonic stem cells (for example from the umbilical cord blood or bone marrow) as long as it does not hurt the donor. However„the destruction of a human embryo to benefit other members of the human species homo sapiens sets a dangerous precedent for humankind”. Doctor Konstanty Radziwill, the Chairman of the Chief Medical Council, Poland 2004

19. Final remarks Many people in Poland believe that life protection, from conception to natural death, is still the primary objective in our times. The clear majority of doctors in Poland declare themselves to be in favor of life.