Polish court rules activist guilty of helping terminate pregnancy

FILE PHOTO: Justyna Wydrzynska, an abortion rights activist, reacts after an adjourned hearing in court, in Warsaw, Poland, October 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Warsaw court handed a community service sentence to Polish activist Justyna Wydrzynska on Tuesday, saying she was guilty of providing pregnancy termination pills, in a landmark case over abortion rights in the predominantly Catholic country.

Along with Malta, Poland's anti-abortion laws are among the most restrictive in Europe, allowing for termination only in the event of incest, rape or a risk to the mother's health. Helping a woman obtain an abortion is also illegal.