Europe rights court condemns Poland in abortion rape case

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday condemned Poland for the inhumane and degrading treatment of a 14-year-old rape victim whom the authorities tried to stop having an abortion.

The girl’s right to a private and family life had been flouted in 2008, the court ruled, saying she had been arbitrarily detained after being briefly placed in a home to separate her from her mother, who favoured an abortion.

“The court was particularly struck that the authorities started criminal proceedings for illicit sexual relations against the adolescent who, according to the prosecutor and medical reports, should have been considered the victim of sexual abuse,” the Strasbourg judges said in their verdict.

It said that Poland had violated article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights – “prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment”.

A staunchly Catholic country, Poland’s legislation on abortion is amongst the strictest in Europe and the Strasbourg court has already twice condemned it for failing to ensure the law on the subject is respected.

The hospitals in the southeastern city of Lublin did everything to dissuade the girl from having an abortion, sending her to see a priest before refusing to carry out the operation. Officials alerted local media to the story, prompting harassment of the girl by anti-abortion campaigners.