Adam Bodnar, Poland’s ombudsman for human rights, tweeted support for the protests, saying, “the state wants to further limit women’s rights, risk their lives, and condemn them to torture. This offensive is opposed by civil society. I appeal to the police to respect the citizens’ right to spontaneous, peaceful protest.”
Europe’s strictest laws
Poland already has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, and most of the small number of legal abortions that take place in the country are cases of foetal defects.
Under the new rules, abortion will only be permitted in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger.
27 January 2021, 22:44 UTC
Following the publication by the Polish Constitutional Tribunal of the ruling invalidating the constitutionality of access to abortion on the ground of “severe and irreversible foetal defect or incurable illness that threatens the foetus’ life”, Esther Major, Senior Research Adviser at Amnesty International, said:
“Today is a terrible day for women and girls in Poland. This harmful ruling roll back on pregnant people s sexual and reproductive rights and puts their health at risk. This dangerous ruling is the latest in a coordinated and systematic wave of attacks on women’s human rights by Polish lawmakers Esther Major, Amnesty International
Image via AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
This article was republished here with permission from The Associated Press, however it is no longer available to read on Snopes.com.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) A near-total ban on abortion has taken effect in Poland and triggered a new round of nationwide protests three months after a top court ruled that the abortion of congenitally damaged fetuses is unconstitutional. Led by a women’s rights group, Women’s Strike, people poured onto the streets of Warsaw and other cities late Wednesday. More anti-government demonstrations are planned for Thursday evening. Poland’s top human rights official denounced the further restriction…
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Rights groups criticise ruling as government appears to bank on Covid measures to dampen protests
00:58
Shaun Walker Central and eastern Europe correspondent
Thu 28 Jan 2021 09.44 EST
First published on Thu 28 Jan 2021 09.43 EST
A near-total ban on abortion in Poland has set the stage for a showdown between a protest movement known as the “Women’s Strike” and the country’s conservative ruling coalition.
Poland’s human rights ombudsman, who runs one of the few institutions in the country to remain independent from the government, said the ruling was terrible news for Polish women.