Polish appeals court orders retrial in abortion-aiding case

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An appeals court in Poland on Thursday ordered a retrial of the case of a women’s rights activist convicted of providing another woman with abortion pills.

The Warsaw Appeals Court overturned the 2023 conviction, arguing it was handed by a judge whose appointment was faulty. That judge was a loyalist of the previous right-wing, anti-abortion government, and her appointment to the case — and promotion soon after the verdict — were seen as a reward for loyalty and sign of being partial.

Thursday’s annulment of that conviction was an example of how sensitive verdicts handed by some judges under the previous government are being voided now over questions of lack of impartiality.

The activist, Justyna Wydrzynska, said she did not feel satisfaction because she will have to go through the trial again.

Wydrzynska was convicted in March 2023 and sentenced to eight months of community service for having sent pills to a woman seeking abortion, who was prevented from using them by her partner. Helping a woman have an abortion is illegal in Poland and can result in up to three years in prison. The woman having an abortion is not punished.

Wydrzynska appealed the sentence, arguing that one of the judges that ruled at the time wasn’t impartial.

Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, allows abortion only when a woman’s life or health is endangered or if the pregnancy results from rape or incest.