Czech abortion rates hit record lows since Communist era as tensions over rights rise

Abortion rates have dropped sevenfold since 1989, but weekend protests and sharp rhetoric signal a deepening divide over reproductive rights.

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas, ČTK
14.04.2026

Abortion numbers in Czechia have fallen to historic lows, but increasingly sharp political rhetoric and rival street demonstrations in Prague this weekend proved that growing tensions over reproductive rights remain.

Police and organizers said more than 4,000 people took part in the March for Life on Saturday, which began near Prague Castle and moved through the city center in smaller groups toward Wenceslas Square. Counter-protesters attempted to block parts of the route at several points, prompting repeated police intervention.

Continued: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/czech-abortions-see-historic-lows-as-political-tensions-heat-up

14.04.2026

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abortion rates in Czech Republic

Abortion Support Alliance Prague

Thousands protest in Prague for and against abortion

April 11, 2026

Thousands of people have taken part in demonstrations on abortion rights in Prague. The participants in the annual "March for Life" marched through the city center after a service in the Catholic St. Vitus Cathedral. Hundreds of mainly young protesters gathered for a counter-demonstration under the slogan "Prague is feminist". They held up signs with texts such as "Women's rights are human rights" and "My body, my choice".

The police were on site with numerous forces to prevent clashes. Five people were temporarily arrested because they did not follow the officers' instructions, a spokesperson said. According to the CTK agency, the number of abortions in the Czech Republic has been falling for decades and stands at around 15,000 per year. Women can legally have an abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy without having to give a reason. Abortions for medical reasons can be legal up to the 24th week.

Source: https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/international/thousands-protest-in-prague-for-and-against-abortion-3184934.html

11.04.2026

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March for Life

pro-choice counter protest

Most Czechs back abortion, euthanasia; public divided on prostitution

A new CVVM poll shows strong support for abortion and euthanasia in Czechia, while opinions on prostitution remain split across demographics.

Written by Expats.cz Staff
23.08.2025

A new public opinion survey conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research (CVVM) highlights strong support among Czechs for abortion and euthanasia, while attitudes toward prostitution remain more divided.

The survey, which included responses from 1,712 adults in May and June of this year, explored some of the country’s most debated social issues, reflecting how cultural, religious, and demographic factors shape public views. Experts say these results provide insight into shifting social attitudes in Czechia.

Continued: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/poll-most-czechs-back-abortion-euthanasia-public-divided-on-prostitution

23.08.2025

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Czechia

euthanasia

medical assistance in dying

opinion polls on abortion

public support for abortion

Czech Republic

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Human Rights

Inside a Czech Abortion Network Offering Pregnant Women from Poland a Lifeline

Apr 29, 2025
By Tamara Davison

Eva Ptasková was waiting in a dimly lit parking lot near the Czech-Polish border at 4 a.m. for someone she’d never met.

“It was empty and dark,” Ptasková recalled about the unusual mid-pandemic encounter, adding that she kept her colleague on the phone for safety.

Eventually, a figure exited a taxi and clambered into Ptasková’s car — a woman from Poland, who had traveled to the neighboring Czech Republic for an abortion. With just hours to spare before the appointment, Ptašková listened to the woman recount her life story as they drove through the night. It was the first time the Polish woman, who was already a mother to a young baby, had left her homeland.

Continued: https://www.moretoherstory.com/stories/inside-a-czech-abortion-network-offering-pregnant-women-from-poland-a-lifeline

Pro-choice protesters halt Prague pro-life march as Europe’s abortion fight heats up

This weekend in Prague saw the March for Life blocked from reaching its destination in Wenceslas Square by women's rights advocates.

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas
28.04.2025

Tensions over abortion rights flared in Prague this weekend as pro-choice activists blocked the annual March for Life, preventing the pro-life demonstration from reaching its planned destination at Wenceslas Square.

Several hundred people from both camps gathered Saturday, with police arresting about 30 pro-choice demonstrators who sat across Kaprova Street in a nonviolent blockade. No major clashes were reported.

Continued: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/pro-choice-protesters-block-prague-march-for-life-as-european-abortion-rights-debate-intensifies

28.04.2025

pro-choice counter protest

Jarmila Adiová: The Czech state threatened to institutionalize my children if I didn’t have an abortion, later I learned they also sterilized me

by Gwendolyn Albert, Lukáš Cirok, Soňa Kalejová, Jitka Votavová
21 December 2024

Jarmila Adiová is one of many forcibly sterilized women who are fighting with the lifelong repercussions of that traumatic experience in the Czech Republic. In an interview for ROMEA TV, she reveals how pressure from physicians and social workers led to more than one irreversible intervention in her life.

Adiová has applied for the compensation of CZK 300,000 [EUR 12,000] currently being offered by the Czech state and is still waiting to see whether it will be awarded to her. For the time being the official deadline for filing requests for such compensation is 2 January 2025.

Continued: https://romea.cz/en/czech-republic/jarmila-adiova-the-czech-state-threatened-to-institutionalize-my-children-if-i-didnt-have-an-abortion-later-i-learned-they-also-sterilized-me

21.12.2024

Prague Hospital Performs Abortion On Wrong Woman Due To Language Barrier

The hospital blames a language barrier for the nightmarish mix-up.

World News, Edited by Anjali Thakur
April 01, 2024

A shocking mistake at a Prague hospital resulted in a foreign woman undergoing an abortion she never wanted. CNN Prima News reported that the four-month-pregnant woman arrived for a routine checkup on March 25th at Bulovka University Hospital.

Incredibly, a series of errors allowed her to be anesthetized and operated on, despite being the wrong patient. Hospital staff, including nurses, doctors, a gynaecologist, and even the anesthesiologist, failed to identify her correctly. The hospital blames a language barrier for the nightmarish mix-up.

Continued; https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/prague-hospital-performs-abortion-on-wrong-woman-due-to-language-barrier-5352258

01.04.2024

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Bulovka University Hospital

Czech Medical Chamber

Czech Society for Quality in Healthcare

David Marx

Eva Stolejda Libigerova

Anti-abortion and pro-choice groups clash in Prague

The anti-abortion protesters held an annual march across Prague, while pro-choice groups briefly blocked their way and held a separate rally.

Written by ČTK

Published on 02.05.2022

The National March For Life, an annual event held by opponents of abortion,
marched across Prague on Saturday after a two-year pause caused by the
coronavirus pandemic, while another group of demonstrators promoted women's
right to abortion.

The two demonstrating groups met near Mánes Bridge, where the participants had
verbal exchanges. Those defending the right to abortion briefly blocked the
opponents' way, but without the police having to intervene.

Continued: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/anti-abortion-protesters-march-in-prague-pro-choice-activists-counter

Death of pregnant Polish woman sparks new wave of abortion protests in Czechia

On the Day of Polish Independence, protestors marched against hardline abortion laws at the Polish consulate in Ostrava.

Written by Expats.cz Staff

Published on 12.11.2021

Poland’s crackdown on abortion is forcing more and more Polish women to seek
help in the Czech Republic. The “Auntie Czech” collective helping Polish women
get abortions across the border earlier this month marked its first anniversary
with a fundraiser in Prague.

Yesterday, on the occasion of the Day of Polish Independence, around 100 people
met outside the Polish general consulate seat in Ostrava to protest against
tough abortion legislation in Poland. The protest was organized to support
larger-scale efforts taking place in Poland following the death of a pregnant
woman after doctors refused to carry out an abortion to save her.

Continued: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/polish-abortion-restrictions-spark-protests-in-the-czech-republic

Poland’s Government Requests Czechia Stop Offering Abortions to Polish Women

A secretary of state at Poland’s Foreign Ministry said abortions offered to Polish women in Czech clinics are “an encouragement to violate the rights of Polish citizens” and could affect bilateral relations.

Claudia Ciobanu, Warsaw
May 3, 2021

The Polish government on Monday confirmed a report by the Czech weekly Respekt that a representative of the Polish embassy in Prague had sent a letter to the Czech health minister in March asking him to intervene to block legislation being debated by the Czech parliament that would clarify the terms under which foreigners can get abortions in the country.

The intervention by the Polish chargé d’affaires in Prague, described as diplomatically unusual by a Czech deputy minister for legislation, indicates that the right-wing Law and Justice-led (PiS) government is now looking to prevent Polish women from seeking a termination abroad after it engineered a near-total ban on abortion at home. On October 22, the Constitutional Tribunal, which has been illegally stuffed with PiS-friendly judges, ruled that abortions in the case of a malformation of the foetus are unconstitutional.

Continued: https://balkaninsight.com/2021/05/03/polands-government-requests-czechia-stop-offering-abortions-to-polish-women/