Patient in Poland takes the ‘morning-after pill’ – suddenly the police are in the clinic There are temperature records in Mallorca – Greece fears drought

A police operation in a hospital emergency room over a patient who had taken the ‘morning-after pill’ caused a stir in Poland. Human rights officer Marcin Wiacek is asking the head of the responsible police in Krakow for clarification on the incident, Wiacek’s spokeswoman said in Warsaw on Wednesday.

The patient, of whom only the first name Joanna is known, called her psychiatrist on April 27 and said she had taken the ‘morning after pill’, broadcaster TVN24 reported on Tuesday. The woman said she felt bad physically and mentally, but had no suicidal thoughts. The doctor then sent an ambulance and a police patrol to her apartment.

The patient was taken to a hospital emergency department. The police stayed. “The policewomen told me to undress, squat and cough. I took off my clothes but not my panties because I was still bleeding. It was humiliating and humiliating for me,” the woman told TVN24.

An emergency room doctor told the broadcaster that four male police officers had surrounded the frightened woman, making it difficult for the medics to work. Police also seized the woman’s laptop. When the doctor and patient asked why this was necessary, the police officers explained that it had to be secured for the “protocol of the arrest”.

The Kraków district prosecutor’s office is investigating assisted suicide and assisted illegal abortion. In 2021, stricter abortion laws came into force in Poland following a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court. Since then, women are not allowed to have an abortion, even if the unborn child has serious malformations.

A police statement said Wednesday that when she called the emergency room, the psychiatrist said her patient was possibly suicidal and had taken an unknown substance. The woman told officials she bought the money online, but declined to provide further details. (sda/dpa)