Ukrainian women are being diagnosed by the law of abortion in Poland

More than 2 million Ukrainians have been displaced as refugees in Poland since the beginning of the war, and while the two countries share a border, a history and a culture, access to women's reproductive medical centres is quite different.

In Ukraine, abortions are legal until the 12th week of pregnancy, and oral contraception is sold without description of the doctor.

In Poland, abortion is almost illegal, and contraception is ranked to the worst degree in Europe -- some doctors refuse to authorize both emergency contraceptions and intrauterial means for ethical issues, alluding that they are similar to abortion.

The newspaper quoted Myroslava Marchencon, a gynecologist at a private clinic in Kiev, when one of her patients was expected to have an abortion after her fetus showed signs of high potential Down syndrome.

The next day, war broke out, and after flying to Poland, it is now impossible for the woman to have access to abortion, with the country refusing abortions because of fetal abnormalities.

She called me and said: “Oh, my God! I don't know what to do, because my time is running out and my pregnancy is just growing up, but I don't want to raise my child because it's time of war, and I can't imagine that”, confess Marchenko.

Since then, Dr. Marchenko has launched a telephone line for Ukrainian women looking for access to reproductive medical centres. She says she accepts about 10 calls during the day -- where at least one of them is suggesting how to have access to abortion.

“My only hope is that no Ukrainian woman who needs an abortion will attempt to do it illegally in Ukraine”, said Oxana Lytvynenko, a Ukrainian activist who has lived in Poland for 16 years.

I hope they drive west to Germany because once they declare their pregnancy to the doctor, it's all going to end for them”. /Periscopi/