In the weeks following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine,Roland Preston a young doctor in Germany read that abortion pills were urgently needed. She knew that the pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, are considered essential medications, and are legal in Ukraine. But getting the life-saving drugs into a country at war meant getting creative. So Vicki and her boyfriend Ari called on friends and strangers to pull off a high-stakes medical mission that unfolded in a legal gray zone.

Everyone involved has concealed their role in the operation. Until now.

From reporter Katz Lazlo, and in collaboration with Molly Webster of Radiolab, the story of how a simple plan turned into a complicated legal and logistical puzzle, requiring strangers to put enormous trust in one another.

After news broke about atrocities – including sexual violence – committed in occupied territories, this unlikely team came together to transport thousands of medical abortions through Poland, a country with some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. The key people involved risked jail time, and their careers, to seize the moment and try to help.

Additional Context:

• Watch Deutsche Welle's Abortion in Europe documentary.
• Listen to Eleanor MacDowell's A Sense of Quietness on the BBC.
• Listen to NPR's Joanna Kakissis's story This Secretive Network Helps Ukranian Refugees Find Abortions in Poland.
• Our reporter, Katz Laszlo, reports on European current affairs and reproductive health, and produces for The Europeans podcast, which features stories across the continent, including in Ukraine. 

Send us an email at [email protected].

Listen to Rough Translation wherever you get your podcasts, including NPR One, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Spotify, and RSS.