How the AbortOmat locker works

The AbortOmat went live this week as what its operators call the world's first parcel locker for abortion pills. The service is run by the Women Help Women foundation, directed by Kinga Jelinska, together with the Abortion Dream Team, the group she co-founded.

• •The pink machine, framed by zebra-striped curtains, stands in Warsaw and holds 22 compartments
• •A six-digit code lets women collect the pills quickly and without giving their name
• •It was designed for people facing a missed miscarriage or health complications who cannot, or do not want to, wait days for the pills to arrive by post
• •It also serves those who worry about having the pills sent to their home

Why a machine: 'a little bit of a hack on the law'

Under Polish law, possessing or ingesting abortion pills is not outlawed, but providing the medication or helping someone obtain it is a crime that can bring up to three years in prison. Jelinska said the locker offers a novel way to challenge the restrictions. Because the rules target direct handovers, the machine standing between giver and recipient changes the picture: "here we have a machine in between, which makes the legality of everything much more vague".

She summarised the approach:

Asked why the locker should exist at all, her answer was "And why not?". Abortion pills, she argued, deserve the same speedy delivery people expect for everyday online orders: "You can order underwear, cosmetics, mascara, whatever and receive it practically the same or next day". Some requests carry more urgency than ordinary parcels, she said: "Why not abortion pills, where in some cases there might be more urgency?"

Six years on from mass protests, promises unmet

The launch comes six years after protests against a further tightening of abortion laws that already ranked among the strictest in Europe set off Poland's largest demonstrations since the fall of communism. In 2023, those protests were credited with helping to bring Donald Tusk to power on promises to overhaul the abortion laws within 100 days.

Since then, Jelinska said, political stagnation has set in, and she cited Tusk's comment last year that there was "simply no majority" for allowing abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy. The prime minister instead hinted his government would take a different route and would not prosecute those who helped facilitate abortions.

The centre across from parliament

The locker sits inside the abortion centre that the Abortion Dream Team opened in March 2025, described as the first of its kind in democratic Poland. It offers a safe space for people to consult on abortion options or receive support while they take the pill, and it is symbolically located across the street from the Polish parliament. Jelinska said the centre has let campaigners spotlight the continued need for abortion access while serving a wide array of people, and that it has surpassed expectations.

The centre has also drawn opposition. Jelinska said it faces protests three, sometimes four times a week, which she linked to the political situation. Of the authorities' response, she said:

The protests usually draw fewer than a dozen people, who regularly use sirens and vuvuzelas, leaving campaigners worried the noise would eventually lead neighbours to ask the centre to relocate. Jelinska said about 50,000 people in Poland contacted the wider network of pro-choice organisations last year seeking help, as the organisations increasingly felt abandoned by politicians.

For now, the AbortOmat stands live inside the Warsaw centre, which continues to draw protesters several times a week with no reaction from the city or the police. Where access goes next, Jelinska said, will not be decided in parliament: "I think in Poland, abortion access won't be solved by politics but by women and communities". She added: "We cannot trust politicians with our own bodies."