Should a woman have control over her body and thereby make reproductive choices? Reproduction and abortion have been a controversial topic for over fifty years. Some people are pro-life, while others are pro-choice. Who should have the right to choose for women? Poland, along with many other Central and Eastern European countries, believes that the choice should be in the hands of the state, the government and, above all, the church. Poland is located in central-eastern Europe and had approximately 38.7 million inhabitants. 2003 (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003). That number has slowly changed and in 2012 stands at 38.5 million. Between 1995 and 2000 the annual growth rate was 0.1%. Men were expected to live an average of 68.2 years, while women were expected to live 76.9 years. Also in 2003, there were 106 women for every 100 men (Center For Reproductive Rights, 2003). Why is this important? In 1998 there were 23 live births for every 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19. On the other hand, there were 15 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (Center For Reproductive Rights, 2003). This means that for every 43,478.26 women between the ages of 15 and 19 there would be 1000 births of which 15 children would not survive. This may explain why population growth has been very low or declining. Even with such a large population, Poland has an inadequate amount of medical facilities. In 2003, Poland had 8,461 medical clinics and health centers. Of these 8,461 medical centers, 5,256 are located in urban areas, remaining 3,295 in rural environments. 715 of these are general hospitals and only eight of these have maternity wards. A doctor is responsible for the care of 424 people, while 1 nurse is responsible for 178. There... in the center of the document... w.reproductiverights.org In-text citation: (Center For Reproductive Rights, 2003) Fuszara, M (1991). Legal regulation of abortion in Poland. Segni: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 17 (1), 117-128. In the text citation: (Fuszara, 1991) Hart, R. Open Society Foundations, (2012). Why reproductive rights matter in an open society. Retrieved from website: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/why-reproductive-rights-matter-open-societyIn-text citation: (Hart, 2012)Okolski, M. (1983). Abortion and contraception in Poland.Studies in Family Planning, 14(11), 263-274.In the text citation: (Okolski, 1983)Szostak, M. Astra Youth, (2011). Sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries. Retrieved from website: http://www.astra.org.pl/pdf/publications/SRHRAY2011.pdf In-text citation: (Szostak, 2011)