PTP: There are guidelines for psychiatrists on legal abortions

The team working on this post consisted of: Piotr Galecki, Rafal Kubiak, Dominika Dudek, Janusz Heitzman, Malgorzata Urban-Kowalczyk and Agata Szulc. The guidelines were approved by the General Board of the Polish Psychiatric Association and the national consultant for psychiatry.

• In the current legal situation in Poland, termination of pregnancy is also allowed if there is a threat to the life or health of the pregnant woman, only to her mental health.
• The psychiatrist doctor acts as a consultant and expert. A psychiatrist doctor who makes a ruling that the pregnant woman's life or health is at risk does not decide whether to terminate the pregnancy.A psychiatrist doctor does not make a referral for an abortion.
• The mental health condition threatening the life or health of the pregnant woman, which is the basis for the psychiatrist's judgment, should be serious.
• In his ruling, the psychiatrist states:
  • whether it recognizes a particular pregnancy-related disease entity that may threaten the mental health of the pregnant woman, and
  • whether the occurrence of the disease induces such a risk that is significant enough to justify termination of pregnancy, and
  • whether performing the procedure will eliminate or at least negate this danger (the procedure should prognosticate positively in terms of removing the danger to the pregnant woman's mental health).
• Making a judgment should always be preceded by a personal examination of the patient with due diligence.
• The certificate of danger or lack thereof to the life or health of the pregnant woman, issued by the psychiatrist, should include the reasons for his final conclusion.

Guidelines: TU

Source: PTP