Three doctors in Poland have been found guilty in connection with the 2021 death of a pregnant woman, in a case widely linked to the country’s increasingly restrictive abortion laws.

The woman, known publicly only by her first name, Izabela, died of sepsis at 22 weeks pregnant after experiencing complications. Her family believes her life could have been saved, but that care was delayed because doctors were concerned about breaching abortion regulations. Although an investigation later ruled that abortion laws did not influence the doctors’ decisions, they were found guilty of directly endangering her life.

Izabela, who was 30 at the time of her death, had been admitted to a hospital in the town of Pszczyna, southern Poland, in September 2021. Her foetus had been diagnosed with severe developmental defects, but an abortion was not offered. She later died from septic shock after the baby died in the womb.

At the time, Polish media reported that Izabela had texted her mother from the hospital, writing: “The baby weighs 485g. For now, thanks to the abortion law, I have to lie down and there’s nothing they can do. They’ll wait until it dies, or something starts, and if it doesn’t, I can expect sepsis.”

The hospital later stated its actions were based on concern for both the mother and the unborn child.

Izabela’s death sparked national protests under the slogan “Not One More,” and her image became a symbol of the movement demanding broader access to legal abortion.

Her passing came just months after a Constitutional Court ruling went into effect banning abortions in cases of severe foetal malformation—previously the reason behind 98% of Poland’s legal abortions in 2019. The new law limited legal abortions to cases involving rape, incest, or threats to the mother’s life.

Although prosecutors concluded in 2023 that the court ruling had no direct bearing on the medical decisions in Izabela’s case, three doctors were charged with directly endangering her life.

One of them, Andrzej P, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter. He received an 18-month prison sentence and was barred from practising medicine for six years. Another, Michal M, was sentenced to 15 months in prison with the same six-year ban. The third, Krzysztof P, received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a four-year professional ban.

None of the doctors admitted guilt and all have the right to appeal.

Reacting to the verdicts, Antonina Lewandowska, national advocacy coordinator for the women’s rights group Federa, told the BBC: “No ruling is going to bring Izabela back. It’s outrageous the ruling is so mild given the crime presented to the court. Izabela deserved better and the women in Poland deserve better.

“The ruling is a good thing, but justice was only partially served. Such a verdict will not resonate within the medical community which is hesitant about performing abortions to say the least,” she added.

Speaking to Polish outlet onet.pl, Izabela’s sister-in-law Barbara Skrobol said: “She died consciously, suffering physically and mentally. She begged for help, knowing she might die.” (AriseNews TV, excluding headline)