Poles protest against possible ban on abortion
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
03.04.2016 16:13
Thousands gathered outside Poland's lower house of parliament on Sunday afternoon to protest against a possible complete ban on abortion that is supported by the prime minister and the Church.
Tausende Menschen haben in ganz Polen gegen eine Verschärfung des Abtreibungsrechts im April 2016 demonstriert.
PAP/Jakub Kamiński
Prime Minister Beata Szydło stated on Thursday that she is in favour of a complete ban.
Her comments followed an open letter signed by the head of the Polish Episcopate Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, calling on parliamentarians to vote through a complete ban.
At present NGO the PRO Foundation (Fundacja Pro) is gathering signatures for a so-called citizen's bill, under the slogan 'Stop Abortion'.
If 100,000 signatures are gathered, the draft legislation can be submitted to parliament.
Sunday's protest was initiated by the left-wing Together Party.
Current laws
Poland currently has among the most stringent abortion laws in Europe, meaning that a culture of backstreet abortions has emerged, likewise a syndrome whereby women have the operation over the border, commonly in Slovakia or the Czech Republic.
Abortion is only permissible if a woman's life or health is jeopardised by the continuation of a pregnancy, if the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act such as rape, or if the foetus is seriously malformed. The abortion must be carried out within the first 25 weeks of the pregnancy.
The Episcopate has argued in its appeal that there cannot be a compromise on the matter. Bishops cited The Ten Commandments in their letter, stating 'Thou shalt not kill.' (nh/pk)