France

Panot/Aubry MPs transport abortion pills to Poland

- 3:55 pm
MPs Manon Auby and Mathilde Panot bring abortion pills to Poland (capture X)

MPs Manon Auby and Mathilde Panot bring abortion pills to Poland (capture X)

Mathilde Panot, French MP, and Manon Aubry, MEP (LFI), filmed themselves transporting abortion pills to Poland, a country where voluntary interruption of pregnancy is severely restricted. A militant act which is not without legal risks.

Medicines under close surveillance

At the heart of this case are two strictly regulated drugs: mifepristone (Mifegyne®) and misoprostol (Gymiso®, MisoOne®). Together, these substances can be used to induce a medical termination of pregnancy according to a precise protocol.
In France, these drugs are only available on prescription from doctors or midwives who have signed an agreement with a healthcare establishment. Fully reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie, their distribution is subject to rigorous traceability.

The two MPs expose themselves to a host of offences

The transport of around 300 abortion pills to Poland could constitute several serious offences:
In France :

  • Illegal practice of pharmacy (2 years’ imprisonment, €30,000 fine)
  • Potential Health Insurance fraud
  • Illegal export of medicines without ANSM authorization

At European level:

  • Violation of directives on cross-border transport of medicines
  • Non-compliance with rules on the distribution of prescription drugs

Poland:

  • Illegal abortion aid (up to 3 years’ imprisonment)
  • Illegal import of unauthorized medicines

Drastic Polish legislation

In Poland, abortion is only authorized in three highly restrictive cases: danger to the mother’s life, pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, and until 2020, serious malformations of the fetus.
A precedent exists: in 2022, activist Justyna Wydrzyńska was sentenced to eight months’ community service for supplying abortion pills.

The question of parliamentary immunity

While Mathilde Panot and Manon Aubry benefit from parliamentary immunity, this could be lifted at the request of the Polish or French authorities. Indeed, their action could be considered a personal act, not covered by their mandate.

Significant health risks

Beyond the legal aspects, this distribution without medical supervision raises major health concerns. These powerful drugs, used outside the medical framework, expose Polish women to risks of overdose, allergies and serious side effects.
Questions arise as to how these elected representatives were able to obtain such a large stock of drugs, when their distribution is strictly regulated in French healthcare establishments.

Note: We were unable to contact Mathilde Panot and Manon Aubry. But we will be happy to give them the floor as soon as they wish.

France,