Prosecutors probe pregnant woman's death in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prosecutors in southern Poland are probing the death of a 37-year-old woman in a hospital who had been pregnant with twins, a situation in which her family and women's rights groups blame Poland’s strict anti-abortion law, alleging it fatally delayed doctors’ decision to terminate the pregnancy.

Prosecutors in Katowice said Monday they were awaiting the results of three autopsies to determine the cause of the Jan. 25 death of the woman, identified only as Agnieszka T., and the late December deaths of her two fetuses, after which the pregnancy was terminated.

The prosecutors are questioning the woman's husband, her twin sister and the doctors and hospital staff in a probe into potential medical mistakes, a spokesman for the prosecutors, Ireneusz Kunert told The Associated Press.

The woman's family issued a statement saying they suspect sepsis was the cause of the woman's death and allege it was caused by the doctors' decision to continue her pregnancy despite the death of one of the fetuses, and allege the abortion was also delayed after the other fetus' death.

The family, as well as women's rights group, the All-Poland Women's Strike, blame the death on the 2020 strict anti-abortion verdict by a top constitutional court passed under Poland's right-wing government. They say it has a chilling effect on doctors, leading to wrong medical decisions.

“Another victim of the ban on abortion in Poland: 37-year-old Agnieszka of Częstochowa," the women's group said on Facebook. "We keep shouting #NotOneMore, but the ban on abortion is killing more and more women.”

Under the court's verdict, which drew massive protests, it's illegal in Poland to terminate pregnancy with congenital defects, as was previously possible. It means that an abortion is only...