Abortion Dream Team

Four women fighting for abortion rights in Poland, a country with strict anti-abortion laws. One of them, Justyna Wydrzyríska, is criminally charged with ‘intent to aid an abortion’. While Justyna’s case attracts international attention, it also brings back her own past trauma and reveals deeply rooted motives for her activism.

‘You help your sisters. Simple as that,’ Justyna Wydrzyríska says. Working the Abortion Without Borders helpline, Justyna can be reached any time of day by young women, and sometimes men, who are desperately looking for help. In 2016 she was one of the founders of the NGO Abortion Dream Team (ADT). In Poland, access to a safe abortion is only provided by NGOs, either by helping them get access to an abortion abroad or by providing abortion pills and guidance. For most Polish women who need an abortion, their only rescue is the Abortion Dream Team.  

We follow ADT founders Justyna, Natalia, Karolina and Kinga while the daily reality of abortions continues, and they prepare for the trial against Justyna. She is criminally charged for sending abortion pills to a woman whose abusive boyfriend, when he found out, contacted the police. Justyna is determined to turn the trial ‘into a great international show’. However, the women have to face a constant barrage of threats and verbal abuse. And while the trial date nears, the pressure is taking its toll. 

Activist Justyna Wydrzyríska will be present at the Q&As for Abortion Dream Team at the festival.