Poland: the fight for abortion rights continues
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On 22 October Poland s Constitutional Tribunal dealt a severe blow to women’s rights. The institution ruled that abortion in cases of “severe and irreversible abnormalities of the foetus” was incompatible with the country s constitution. This announcement enraged thousands of citizens who have been protesting tirelessly against their government and clergy ever since. We interviewed Weronika Śmigielska, one of the demonstrators, who has been fighting for women’s rights in Poland for several years. She filled us in about what s been going on over the past few days.
Despite multiple attempts to tighten abortion laws in 2016 and 2018, Poland s feminist movements have nevertheless had some success in silencing the country s most conservative camps. This all changed, however, when the Constitutional Tribunal, a judicial organ that is closely linked to the government, ruled that abortion was unconstitutional in cases