Three doctors convicted in death of pregnant Izabela in Pszczyna appeal verdict while prosecution also challenges ruling.
Trial and Verdict Details
The trial before the District Court in Pszczyna began in September 2024 and was held behind closed doors. The verdict was delivered on July 17, 2025. The court ruled that the doctors’ actions exposed the pregnant woman to direct danger of losing her life. In the case of one doctor, a causal relationship was established between his behavior and the unintentional causing of the patient’s death.
Sentences Imposed
Krzysztof P., who was covering as head of the gynecological-obstetric department, was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years. He also received a fine of 40,000 zł and a four-year ban on practicing medicine. The court also ordered him to apologize to the victims.
Michał M., who was on the morning shift in the emergency room, received a sentence of one year and three months in prison without suspension and a six-year ban from practicing his profession.
The harshest penalty was imposed on Andrzej P., the gynecologist-obstetrician on the afternoon shift. He was sentenced to one year and six months in prison without suspension and a six-year ban from working in his profession.
Appeal Process
The first-instance verdict is not final. It has been appealed both by the doctors’ defense and by the prosecution. On Tuesday, the case will be taken up by the District Court in Katowice as the appellate court.
The Pszczyna District Court also decided to publish the verdict in anonymized form on the court’s website and on the pless.pl and rp.pl portals. The judgment was public, while the reasoning was delivered behind closed doors.
Financial Obligations
Each of the accused was ordered to pay 10,940 zł to the representatives of the auxiliary prosecutors and 21,953 zł to the State Treasury as court costs.
Case Background
Izabela was admitted to the hospital in Pszczyna after her waters broke. Previously, developmental defects had been detected in the fetus. The woman was in the 22nd week of pregnancy. She died of septic shock.
The family of the deceased had from the beginning pointed out that the doctors delayed terminating the pregnancy, which they believed contributed to the tragic outcome. The case sparked nationwide protests under the slogan “Not One More”.
The death of the 30-year-old, mother of a young daughter, became one of the most prominent symbols in the debate about doctors’ responsibility and the limits of decisions made in situations where a pregnant woman’s life is at risk.
Legal Framework
For the crimes attributed to the doctors, the penalty is up to five years in prison. Initially, two of them were charged with unintentional manslaughter. Ultimately, however, the prosecution concluded that in the case of one of the doctors, it could not be proven that there was a causal relationship between the patient’s exposure and her death.
The appellate court may uphold the verdict, change it – both as to guilt and penalty – or quash it and refer the case for retrial. The proceedings starting on Tuesday will be another stage in one of the most prominent medical cases of recent years.