Procreative Health Vs. Reproductive Health: The Impact of Issue Framing on Reproductive Health Policy in Poland

In the public policy discourse on health care in Poland, the terms "reproductive health" or "reproductive rights" are not used. Instead, the terms "procreative health" and "maternal and child health" are used in official documents. Moreover, the concept of reproductive rights is absent from both legal language and legislation in Poland. These exclusions are noteworthy because these terminological choices are inconsistent with the concept advocated and used by supranational organizations such as the WHO and the European Union, of which Poland is a member. This reflects a divergence in the ideological stance of the Polish state towards reproductive health. This article has two aims. The first is to present a comparative analysis of the framing of the issue of procreative health versus reproductive health in Poland. The second is to demonstrate, using the Polish example, the potential impact of issue framing on the formulation and development of reproductive health policy. The research design involves the interpretive policy analysis approach based on the documentary analysis method. The paper posits that the use of specific terminology serves to limit the scope of reproductive health care. As a result, publicly funded health care in Poland excludes or restricts services related to family planning, including sex education, contraception, and abortion.