Key facts
- Polish campaigners have launched a parcel locker for abortion pills called "AbortOmat."
- The locker is located in Warsaw and offers anonymous access to pills via a six-digit code.
- The initiative is led by the Abortion Dream Team and Women Help Women foundation.
- Providing abortion medication in Poland is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
- The "AbortOmat" is situated inside an abortion center that opened in March 2025.
- Protesters have frequently demonstrated outside the abortion center.
Polish campaigners have launched what they describe as the "world’s first parcel locker for abortion pills" in an effort to bypass the country's near-total ban on abortion. The "AbortOmat," a pink locker with 22 compartments, is located inside an abortion center in Warsaw opened by the Abortion Dream Team in March 2025. It allows women to quickly and anonymously retrieve abortion pills using a six-digit code, addressing concerns about waiting times for mail delivery or potential risks of receiving medication at home.
Kinga Jelinska, director of the Women Help Women foundation and co-founder of the Abortion Dream Team, stated that abortion pills should be as accessible as other consumer goods. The initiative comes six years after widespread protests against the tightening of abortion laws in Poland, which helped propel Donald Tusk's government to power with promises of reform. However, political stagnation has ensued, with Tusk citing a lack of parliamentary majority to change the laws.
While possessing or ingesting abortion pills is not illegal in Poland, facilitating or providing them is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. Jelinska views the locker as a legal "hack," creating ambiguity by placing a machine between the provider and the recipient. The abortion center, located across from the Polish parliament, has provided services and support, though campaigners have faced frequent protests from small groups, leading to concerns about potential relocation requests from neighbors. Jelinska expressed disappointment with the lack of political and police response to these disruptions, feeling abandoned by politicians despite a high demand for services.