A prominent Polish doctor has spoken out about a wave of threats and harassment after performing legal abortions at a hospital specializing in high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Gizela Jagielska, a gynecologist at a facility in Olesnica, southwestern Poland, told the BBC she fears for her patients’ safety as well as her own following a recent confrontation with far-right anti-abortion activists.
On 17 April, Dr. Jagielska was targeted by a group led by radical far-right MEP Grzegorz Braun, who stormed the hospital and attempted to perform a “citizen’s arrest.” The group physically blocked her in her office, with Braun reportedly grabbing and pushing her while accusing her of murder. “He kept repeating that I am a murderer, and the police should arrest me as I am a dangerous person,” she recalled.
Despite being called to the scene, police failed to detain the group. Braun, a sitting member of the European Parliament, enjoys immunity from arrest. Since the incident, Dr. Jagielska has received thousands of death threats, and disturbing images portraying her as a blood-covered “murderer” have circulated online. A bomb threat was also made against the hospital.
The Polish government has condemned Braun’s actions, and the interior ministry has stated that police took steps to protect the hospital and its staff. Still, the experience has left Dr. Jagielska shaken. “Some people wanted to gather in front of my house; my private address was there,” she said, emphasizing the personal and professional toll of the targeted harassment campaign.
Dr. Gizela Jagielska, the Polish gynecologist at the center of a high-profile harassment campaign, says police are investigating the death threats she has received but has declined their offer for close personal protection due to the sensitive nature of her work. Instead, authorities provided emergency contact numbers, should her safety or that of her patients be compromised.
Her primary concern remains the wellbeing of her patients. “I’m really worried that anybody could come into the hospital—not for me, but for the patients that are having abortions. I think it’s a dangerous situation for them also,” she told the BBC.
The flashpoint for the harassment was a legal late-term abortion performed by Dr. Jagielska after a severe fetal anomaly was discovered. The condition, fatal shortly after birth, had initially been misdiagnosed at a different hospital, delaying the abortion until later in the pregnancy.
Poland’s abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe, allowing the procedure only in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition, elected in late 2023, pledged to liberalize these laws, but efforts have stalled due to internal political divisions.
The issue has become central in the lead-up to Poland’s upcoming presidential election. Grzegorz Braun, the far-right MEP who led the confrontation at Olesnica hospital and is now a presidential candidate, has a history of inflammatory behavior. He is currently polling at just 2% and recently drew criticism for antisemitic remarks during a televised debate. Braun has previously been expelled from the Polish parliament and removed from the European Parliament for disruptive, hate-filled acts.
Other presidential candidates, including Karol Nawrocki and Slawomir Mentzen, have also voiced opposition to abortion rights. Mentzen, from the ultra-conservative Confederation Party, caused outrage after calling for a total abortion ban, including in cases of rape, which he described as mere “unpleasantness.”
In contrast, liberal candidate Rafal Trzaskowski of Tusk’s coalition has promised to pursue abortion reform. Still, the debate reached a fever pitch when current President Andrzej Duda condemned the Olesnica abortion as “barbaric” and “murder.”
Dr. Jagielska condemned such rhetoric, calling it both inflammatory and dangerous. “I perform abortions when they are wanted by women and within legal circumstances according to Polish law,” she said. “So I don’t feel like a murderer. I feel like an obstetrician who gives proper care for women.”
