Warsaw
The European Court of Human Rights awarded a Polish woman damages this week because she was refused an abortion. Polish law allows abortion if the health of the mother is at risk. Doctors had warned Alicja Tysiac, a single mother of two, that she could go blind if she had another baby, but they nevertheless refused to authorize the procedure. After the birth of her third child, Tysiac suffered a retinal hemorrhage; she can now see no farther than 5 feet, even with thick glasses, and is registered as disabled. The court ordered Poland to pay damages of $33,000. As a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, Poland is required to abide by the court’s ruling.
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