10 December 2020, Warsaw

Abortion Without Borders helps more than 5,000 people in Poland in first year; celebrates with billboards advertising their service in Warsaw

The Abortion Without Borders initiative has helped more than 5,000 people in Poland since its launch one year ago. The group has provided pregnancy options counselling, information about safe abortion with pills in Poland, and funding and practical support for abortion outside Poland. To celebrate, the group has engaged billboards in Warsaw advertising their organisation. In their first year, Abortion Without Borders has:

• Received 7,007 calls from 5,237 people seeking information and help
• Helped 2,199 people access safe abortion with pills inside Poland
• Provided assistance and funding to 262 people who needed to travel outside of Poland for abortion care
• Provided more than £67,320/PLN329,419 in funding during this time, with an average grant of £765/PLN3,766
• Received a signal boost after nationwide protests against further tightening of Poland’s already restrictive abortion laws
• States: “We are unapologetically pro abortion.”

Abortion Without Borders (AWB) was set up on 11 December 2019 to help anyone in Poland access a safe abortion in Poland or abroad. In their first year, AWB received calls from more than 5,000 individuals. This is the number of people who contacted the AWB helpline and does not include hundreds more who made direct contact with one of AWB’s member organisations, Kobiety w Sieci (Poland), Abortion Dream Team (Poland), Women Help Women (International), Abortion Network Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Ciocia Basia (Germany) or Abortion Support Network (England).

Initially the AWB helpline was hearing from an average of 250 people each month, but after a constitutional tribunal proposed further restrictions to Poland’s draconian abortion laws, widespread protests raised awareness of the group and its services, calls to the helpline grew exponentially. The group heard from roughly 2,700 people between 11 December 2019 and 22 October 2020, and roughly 2,500 from 22 October and 4 December.

To celebrate their first anniversary, AWB has arranged for two billboards in Warsaw advertising their services. The billboards, which provide contact information for the group, are intended to capitalise on the incredible amount of public support shown by the hundreds of thousands of people who took to Polish streets in protest against further restrictions to Poland’s already cruel and restrictive abortion law, as well as to raise further awareness about the help on offer from the charity.

If you are in Poland and need help accessing an abortion you can call Abortion With-out Borders on +48 725 892 134, email administracja@maszwybor.net or visit aborcjabezgranic.pl.

Source: Abortion Support Network[:]