The story unfolded in Poland, one of the most conservatively catholic nations in Europe.
The unnamed teenager at the centre of this court case became pregnant in 2008 after she was raped at the age of 14.
In accordance with the law, she got a certificate from the public prosecutor confirming that her pregnancy was as a result of unlawful sexual intercourse.
The girl, named only as “P” went to two different hospitals with her mother in her hometown of Lublin in south-east Poland to try and obtain an abortion.
At one, a Roman Catholic priest attempted to convince her to have the child. Hospital management then issued a press release saying they would not perform the procedure, leading to her case becoming caught up in Poland’s ongoing debate about abortion.
The girl then traveled to a hospital in Warsaw, but doctors there said they were under pressure not to go ahead with the procedure.
The court documents say the pair left the hospital “feeling manipulated and helpless”, after which they were harassed by pro-life groups and eventually taken in for several hours of police questioning.
The authorities then accused the mother of trying to force her daughter into having an abortion and had “P” placed in a juvenile shelter.
See, the rape was only the first assault against her. Pressure from church, harassment by “pro-life” groups, being sent from hospital to hospital and city to city when you are in need, getting placed in juvenile shelter…way to go Poland, is that how you look after a victim?
She eventually managed to go ahead with the termination in Gdansk, 500km from her home, after the Ministry of Health intervened in the case.
In their ruling, which is subject to appeal, a panel of judges at the European Court of Human Rights found that there had been numerous breaches of the girl’s rights.
I do not believe the biblical David v Goliath story, but as a metaphor it may describe the girl’s victory over the state in Poland.
Poland’s abortion law is among the strictest in Europe.
Terminations are only permitted in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother or fetus is in danger.
In case we’ve forgotten, those laws are still more permissive that many theocractic politicians in the US would like them to be.
The BBC’s Adam Easton in Warsaw says that Poland’s abortion law is unlikely to become more liberal soon.
Poland’s Catholic church is fiercely opposed to any attempts to ease the restrictions and a majority of mainstream politicians support the status quo.
And yet this church/multinational has the nerve to bill itself as compassionate and caring.
