A new regulation that came into force in Poland on Saturday requiring women's pregnancy information to be uploaded to the national digital system has raised concerns among organizations that it could be another means for the conservative government to control women's lives. Women's groups suggested that the Health Ministry regulation would enable authorities to monitor pregnancies as another means of control in the country with a highly restrictive anti-abortion law. The ministry had denied this, the AP reports, saying the regulation stems from European Union directives and will help doctors treat patients by providing them with vital information quickly.
"In today's Poland, every change relating to reproduction, and especially when it calls for collecting of sensitive personal information, is met with suspicion of bad intentions," said Krystyna Kacpura, head of the Foundation for Women and Family Planning. The group has called on women to remain calm but stay vigilant about the regulation that's popularly referred to as "pregnancy register"; every pregnancy in the nation must be recorded, per Euronews. Under Poland's right-wing government, abortion is allowed in only if the pregnancy threatens the woman's health or results from crime like rape or incest. Women are not penalized for abortions, only those performing or assisting in them. A provision allowing abortion of fetuses with genetic defects was pronounced unconstitutional by a top court, the Constitutional Tribunal.
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