Poland’s parliament has deferred a final decision on a bill that seeks to tighten the country’s already highly restrictive abortion laws. The bill aims to outlaw abortion on the grounds of fetal impairment, which is one of the very few exceptions to a near-total ban on abortion currently instituted in the country. Other exceptions include cases of rape and danger to the mother’s health or life.
The bill was introduced by Kaja Godek, the head of the ultra-conservative Life and Family Foundation, and was described as a form of protection for disabled children. A similar bill was previously introduced in 2018, but was met with mass protests. This week, too, despite heavy lockdown measures, demonstrations were organized across Warsaw on Tuesday and Wednesday as people held up banners in cars, on their bikes, in queues for shops, and on their balconies.
The parliament, dominated by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which in the past has shown support for the imposition of a total abortion ban, sent the bill back to a parliamentary committee for further work. If passed, it would end almost all legal abortion in Poland. With travel restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, many women are also unable to travel outside the country to seek reproductive healthcare, and have to rely on pills to carry out medical abortions at home.
Image Source: Reuters
Polish Parliament Defers Final Vote on Controversial Abortion Bill
If passed, it would end almost all legal abortion in Poland.
April 17, 2020
