QUESTION TO THE COMMISSION ON THE DEATH OF A PREGNANT WOMAN IN POLAND

50 MEPs CO-SIGN QUESTION ON THE INITIATIVE OF SYRIZA-PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE MEP KOSTAS ARVANITIS

• Question on the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman in Poland, attributed to the doctors` refusal to perform an abortion, is co-signed by 50 MEPs from 4 political groups on the initiative of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance MEP, Kostas Arvanitis

• MEPs highlight that the constant violation of the Rule of Law and the fundamental right of women to universal, safe and free access to sexual and reproductive health cost lives and can no longer be tolerated in the EU

The constant violations of the Rule of Law and the fundamental right of women to universal, safe and free access to sexual and reproductive health cost lives and can no longer be tolerated in the EU. This is a clear message to the European leadership and to the far-right government of Poland by 50 MEPs, two Polish MEPs among them, with a question to the European Commission, on the initiative of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance MEP, Kostas Arvanitis.

This question comes shortly after the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman in Poland, which is attributed to doctors` refusal to perform an abortion. According to the victim`s family, this refusal was due to fear of criminal liability, on account of the law that prohibits abortions in the country.

As stated in the question, this de facto ban constitutes a drastic violation of the "dignity, freedom and access of women - especially the vulnerable - to medical care". It is also a clear violation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, a repeated practice on the part of the Polish government, which cannot be tolerated by Democratic Europe.
The European Commission is called upon to take action in order for Poland to either comply with the rules by ending authoritarian and backward practices that threaten the very lives of women, or face the prescribed sanctions without delay.
The question drafted by SYRIZA - Progressive Alliance MEP, Kostas Arvanitis, is co-signed by a total of 47 MEPs from 4 political groups and 16 different Member States, while 2 more have declared their official support. Among them the Vice President of the European Parliament and Head of SYRIZA-PA in the European Parliament, Dimitris Papadimoulis and all SYRIZA-PA MEPs : Alexis Georgoulis, Petros Kokkalis, Stelios Kouloglou and Elena Kountoura, the Chair of the biggest Committee of the European Parliament – The Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), Mr. Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the co-chair of the Left Group, Manon Aubry and others.
The question is also co-signed by two Polish MEPs, a clear indication of both the sharp divisions in in Poland’s political landscape caused by the authoritarian and anti-institutional policies of the far-right Morawiecki government, which violates the Rule of Law and the non-negotiable sensitivity of the members of the European Parliament in matters of the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights.

Here follow the full text of the question to the European Commission of the 50 MEPs, and the full list of names of cosignatories or supporters of the question:

A pregnant woman in Poland recently died from septicaemia, after her doctors denied aborting the fetus before it was proclaimed dead.
Considering that last year the illegitimate Polish Constitutional Tribunal de facto banned abortion, severely undermining women’s dignity, liberty and access to health care -especially in regard to vulnerable women,
Noting that, according to the victim’s family, the doctors’ denial of care stemmed from fear of criminal liability, in case an abortion under the circumstances constituted a violation of Polish anti-abortion laws,
In view of the above:
• What measures will the Commission take to safeguard women’s right to bodily integrity, autonomy and health, as provided for by Article 3, par. 1 of the CFR, and to ensure that universal, safe and free access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is guaranteed across the Union?

• Given that the erosion of the rule of law in Poland has led to violations of human rights, including SRHR, is the Commission planning to apply any of its enforcement tools to Member States refusing to comply with EU Fundamental Rights?
Konstantinos Arvanitis (The Left, GREECE)
Dimitrios Papadimoulis (The Left, GREECE)
Alexis Georgoulis (The Left, GREECE)
Petros Kokkalis (The Left, GREECE)
Stelios Kouloglou (The Left, GREECE)
Elena Kountoura (The Left, GREECE)

Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, SPAIN)
Robert Biedroń (S&D, POLAND),
Evelyne Gebhardt (S&D, GERMANY),
Dietmar Köster (S&D, GERMANY),
Radka Maxová (S&D, CZECH REPUBLIC),
Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (S&D, PORTUGAL),
Alessandra Moretti (S&D, ITALY),
Maria Noichl (S&D, GERMANY),
Demetris Papadakis (S&D, CYPRUS),
Pina Picierno (S&D, ITALY),
Marianne Vind (S&D, DENMARK),

Vlad Gheorghe (Renew, ROMANIA),
Sandro Gozi (Renew, FRANCE),
Fabienne Keller (Renew, FRANCE),
Irène Tolleret (Renew, FRANCE),
Hilde Vautmans (Renew, BELGIUM),

Michael Bloss (Verts/ALE, GERMANY),
Anna Cavazzini (Verts/ALE, GERMANY),
Ciarán Cuffe (Verts/ALE, IRELAND),
Alexandra Geese (Verts/ALE, GERMANY),
Markéta Gregorová (Verts/ALE, CZECH REPUBLIC),
Alice Kuhnke (Verts/ALE, SWEDEN),
Sergey Lagodinsky (Verts/ALE, GERMANY),
Erik Marquardt (Verts/ALE, GERMANY),
Samira Rafaela (Renew, THE NETHERLANDS),
Terry Reintke (Verts/ALE, GERMANY),
Diana Riba i Giner (Verts/ALE, SPAIN),
Sylwia Spurek (Verts/ALE, POLAND),
Tineke Strik (Verts/ALE, THE NETHERLANDS),
Monika Vana (Verts/ALE, AUSTRIA),

Manon Aubry (The Left, FRANCE),
Pernando Barrena Arza (The Left, SPAIN),
Malin Björk (The Left, SWEDEN),
Leila Chaibi (The Left, FRANCE),
Miguel Urbán Crespo (The Left, SPAIN),
Cornelia Ernst (The Left, GERMANY),
Anja Hazekamp (The Left, THE NETHERLANDS),
Niyazi Kizilyürek (The Left, CYPRUS),
Anne-Sophie Pelletier (The Left, FRANCE),
Manu Pineda (The Left, SPAIN),
Sira Rego (The Left, SPAIN),
Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left, DENMARK),

The question is supported by:

Rosa D`Amato (Verts/ALE, ITALY),
José Gusmão (The Left, PORTUGAL)

By political group:
The Left 18(+1), S&D 11, Renew 5, Verts/ALE 14 (+1)

By member – state:

1. GREECE 6
2. FRANCE 6
3. SPAIN 6
4. SWEDEN 2
5. GERMANY 10
6. THE NETHERLANDS 3
7. DENMARK 2
8. POLAND 2
9. CZECH REPUBLIC 2
10. CYPRUS 2
11. ITALY 2 (+1)
12. PORTUGAL 1 (+1)
13. ROMANIA 1
14. BELGIUM 1
15. IRELAND 1
16. AUSTRIA 1