They are afraid of being judged. Catholic doctors do not prescribe contraceptives and even refuse to care for the patient in cases of life or death. The conscience clause is controversial.
Go to one gynecologist It must be something normal for a woman. A fearless trip, with the aim of talking and understanding some aspects of a woman’s sexual life.
If you are a woman of childbearing age, you can talk about fertility, motherhood, the possibility of getting pregnant… A calm, enlightening conversation.
But In Poland it’s not like that. In a country dominated by religion, and where abortion (for example) is a very delicate and divisive subject, There are women who… run away from gynecologists. Especially religious.
The portal highlights that many young Polish women do not go to gynecology appointments because they have fear of being judged.
It’s not in films: there are doctors – Catholic – who do not prescribe contraceptiveswho openly evoke religion, who rely on Catholicism to judge the patient, and even go so far as to refuse to care for the patient in the event of life or death.
There are doctors – according to some reports – who tell the patient, for example, that the morning after pill is only for “sluts”.
Reports of violence and inadequate treatment of patients in gynecological offices across Poland have been piling up for years.
Now, a report from , a national platform that connects patients to medical offices, shows that more than 10% of women, or have not been to the gynecologist for more than 5 years, or have never been not even.
Detail: two thirds of this group are young people between 18 and 24 years old. From the age of 28 onwards, visits to the gynecologist are more frequent.
And these young women admit it: they avoid gynecological exams because shame or fear to be judged by the doctor.
Conscience clause
In addition to unnecessary comments, Polish women fear hearing inappropriate jokes, painful exams, an authoritarian attitude, lack of privacy in the office, disrespect, or haste on the part of the professional.
And it is also common for doctors to evoke the conscience clause – refuse to provide health services that go against your conscience, ethical or moral values.
But, continues the portal, this clause was transformed into this concept: refusal to perform abortions or prescribe contraceptives. In summary.
The Minister of Health, Izabela Leszczyna, is against this clause: “Hospitals have no conscience” – and warned that there will be punishments for anyone who evokes it.
However, “cathogynecologists” continue to exist and generate criticism online, especially from young Polish women.
In the face of unnecessary comments from doctors – such as “I’ve seen that you’re not a virgin…” – a 17-year-old girl, who heard something like this in a consultation, suggested: “Church gynecologies are pathological cases. It’s a shame that gynecologists like this don’t hang a photo of the Pope on the door of your office. At least I would know where not to go.”
Comments have already spread across social media encouraging young people to share the names of doctors and practices that abuse the “conscience clause”. The priority is for Polish women to help each other understand where there are non-judgmental doctors.
