Abortions performed legally in 1999 put at 151, illegally at 200,000

As a result of regulations prohibiting abortion except in extreme cases, according to official data only 151 such operations were carried out in 1999, while women's support groups estimate that some 200,000 illegal abortions were conducted in the same year. Current Polish law stipulates that abortion may be a valid option only if pregnancy presents a real threat to the mother's life, it is the result of rape or incest, or in the event that permanent and irrevocable damage to the fetus is determined. Authors of a government report on family planning and abortions claim that the strict law has resulted in a decrease in the number of abortions and improved care of mothers and children. The Federation for Women and Family Planning, conversely, believes that the law has led to a rise in underground abortions. Based on polls among women living in rural areas, the Federation estimates the number of illegal abortions performed only in those areas at 90,000 in 1999. (Rzeczpospolita, p.A6) T.J.