Pharmacological abortion

Bogdan Chazan

doi:10.37873/er8x6g98

Keywords: protection of human life, prenatal stage of development, abortion, conceived child, right to life, contraceptives, maternal mortality, mental health complications of abortion, constitutional standards of protection of life, family planning act

Published: June 17, 2026

Definitions of abortion typically omit the child, although induced pregnancy termination is meant to deprive it of life. The chapter defines abortion as the deliberate killing of a child before birth, distinguishing medical and surgical methods; the medical method uses agents causing the child's death and inducing contractions that expel the body.

In second-trimester eugenic abortion the child may be born alive. First-trimester medical abortion is becoming the most common method of prenatal homicide worldwide, though not permitted in Poland even on eugenic grounds. Contrary to popular belief, it is more dangerous to the mother than surgical abortion, causing complications including haemorrhage and infertility; risks rise further at home without supervision.

Medical abortion, increasingly performed worldwide including in Poland, causes numerous child deaths and endangers maternal health; these risks warrant wider publicity.

Bogdan Chazan

Physician, professor of gynecology and obstetrics. For many years a researcher at the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw, deputy director for scientific affairs, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the institution. He was Poland’s national consultant in obstetrics and gynecology for several years. Advocate for changes in Polish obstetrics aimed at the needs of families, as well as the defense of human life from the moment of conception. From 2004 to 2014, director of the gynecological-obstetrical Holy Family Specialized Hospital in Warsaw, fired for refusing to perform abortions. Member of the Government Population Council. Council member of the international organization of Catholic gynaecologists MaterCare International helping mothers in Africa, vice-president of the European Federation of Associations of Catholic Physicians, deputy president of the Catholic Association of Polish Physicians. Author of many scientific works, textbooks for doctors, promoter of habilitation and doctoral theses. Scientific interests: organization of obstetric-gyne
cological care, bioethics. He received the ‘Award of Honour – Christus Medicus’ from the World Federation of Catholic Doctors FIAMC and the ‘Good Samaritan Medal – Curate Infirmos’ from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health.

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Chazan, B. (2026) “Pharmacological abortion”, in Kwaśniewski, J. (ed.) Protection of human life at the prenatal stage of development: Social, medical and legal aspects. Warszawa: Ordo Iuris Institute for Legal Culture - Scientific Press (Ordo Iuris Library). doi:10.37873/ae905y16.

Download Citation

Pharmacological abortion

License

How to Cite

Category

Series

Journal

Keywords

Information

Latest publications

Social media

Contact

Links

Register!