Poland Investigates Case of Selective Twin Abortion Performed Abroad

Polish authorities are investigating a case involving the abortion of one twin from a multiple pregnancy that was performed outside the country. According to advocacy organizations, the procedure was not carried out for medical reasons but was requested by a couple who did not want to have two children. Such selective terminations are illegal under Poland's restrictive abortion laws, which only permit the procedure in cases of rape, incest, or serious threats to the mother's life or health. Poland has some of the strictest abortion regulations in Europe, with the Constitutional Tribunal further tightening restrictions in 2020 by ruling that terminations for severe fetal abnormalities were unconstitutional.