'I am afraid to live here.' Thousands march in Poland against abortion curbs

By Kuba Stezycki and Alicja Ptak

 

A demonstrator holds a flag with the lightning bolt symbol during a protest against the verdict restricting abortion rights in Warsaw, Poland, January 29, 2021. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel

 

WARSAW (Reuters) - Several thousand people marched through cities across Poland on Friday in a third day of protests against a near-total ban on abortion since it was put into effect by the conservative government earlier this week.

 

Defying coronavirus restrictions, hundreds gathered in central Warsaw, chanting "freedom, equality, abortion on demand". Some carried placards that said "I am afraid to live here" and "Banning abortion discriminates against the poor".

 

The protests follow a Constitutional Tribunal ruling from October that terminating pregnancies with foetal defects was unconstitutional, eliminating the most frequently used case for legal abortion in the predominantly Catholic nation.

The ruling came into effect late on Wednesday when it was published in the official gazette.

 

Under the new rules, abortion can be performed legally only in the case of rape or incest and when the mother's health or life are at risk, putting Poland outside the European mainstream. Doctors defying the law face jail.

 

The country was rocked by weeks of nationwide protests following the Oct. 22 court decision. They had quickly morphed into an outpouring of anger against the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government and the powerful Catholic Church.

 

PiS has rejected opposition accusations that it had influenced the court in its decision, although it is one of the judicial bodies PiS overhauled during reforms that the European Union said have politicised the courts.

 

Abortion has become a highly divisive issue since PiS came to power in 2015, promising a return to a traditional, pious society mixed with generous state handouts.

 

Krzysztof Sobolewski, a senior PiS official, said the protests were illegal because of social distancing restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

 

"People who organise these protests... should realise they are risking the lives of the participants and those close to them, because it threatens, God forbid, a new coronavirus wave," he was quoted as saying by the state PAP news agency.

 

In Warsaw, police in riot gear lined major roads in Warsaw, as protesters marched to Aretha Franklin's "Think" and "We Will Rock You" by Queen.

 

Organisers said pepper spray was used against one of the protest leaders. A Reuters witness said one pepper spray exchange was initiated by someone among march participants.

 

Poland reported 6,144 new infections and 336 deaths, and has seen more than 1.2 million cases.

 

(Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-30

 

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Yep, it's all about control, isn't it, the world really is a f'd up place, go bush I say, away from it all, and that's still not far away enough sometimes.

The world is spinning out of control with a small percentage trying to completely control the majority. Glad I'm tucked away in Thailand even with all it's faults. Ultra right and Fanatical left will slog it out and those of us in the middle will suffer. Every woman has the rights over her own body.

Sounds like a pretty PiS government to me

3 hours ago, NumbNut said:

Sounds like a pretty PiS government to me

 

What else do you expect from a trump sycophant  government - very much aligns with trump ideological diktats which are now being reversed by Biden

...as in the USA the restrictions or prohibition of abortion are only a problem for the low income and the poor....because the rich can always take a plane and get an abortion abroad

PiS poor government. How much longer until Poland gets booted out of the EU?

 

They don't really have the same values as the rest of the bloc (well, Hungary is pretty closely aligned) and have held up the recovery fund due to them objecting to following the rule of law clause.

 

Only a matter of time now....

Has anyone heard of condoms or birth control pills????????????? Abortion????????? HuH?????????

Get rid of that stupid thing called religion first & then can get some sanity back

"Banning abortion discriminates against the poor".

 

More like banning abortion discriminates against the stupid. Women who've suffered a sexual attack are another argument here, but who in Poland doesn't know about and can't afford contraception? How about the baby's rights?? How about all the couples who can't have children??? Please don't let's get into a debate about taking a pill or wearing a device is the same as flushing a perfectly formed baby out of the womb.

 

 

14 minutes ago, jesimps said:

the same as flushing a perfectly formed baby out of the womb.

 

If it was perfectly formed, it would live outside of the womb .......................

20 minutes ago, jesimps said:

"Banning abortion discriminates against the poor".

 

More like banning abortion discriminates against the stupid. Women who've suffered a sexual attack are another argument here, but who in Poland doesn't know about and can't afford contraception? How about the baby's rights?? How about all the couples who can't have children??? Please don't let's get into a debate about taking a pill or wearing a device is the same as flushing a perfectly formed baby out of the womb.

 

Have you tried to get contraception in this Catholic country? Not easy.

 

Baby is a bit full-on, unborn fetus would be more correct. Once sentience is achieved, then the fetus has rights as a sentient being.

 

What do couples who can't have children got to do with another womans choice? Nothing is the correct answer. It's her body - let her choose.

 

No one even started thinking about pills - and no one can legaly flush a perfectly formed baby. They can flush out unsentient fetuses. 

 

Your religious / moral views should not be forced upon anyone else - and their views should not be forced upon you. Do what's right for you, and leave others to make their own choice.

10 hours ago, jesimps said:

"Banning abortion discriminates against the poor".

 

More like banning abortion discriminates against the stupid. Women who've suffered a sexual attack are another argument here, but who in Poland doesn't know about and can't afford contraception? How about the baby's rights?? How about all the couples who can't have children??? Please don't let's get into a debate about taking a pill or wearing a device is the same as flushing a perfectly formed baby out of the womb.

 

 

 

Cannot believe anyone would post women are 'stupid' for not using contraception to prevent the possible  consequence of an unwanted pregnancy due to being raped. Perhaps one of the more vile posts I have read on this forum. By way of some background into religious conservatism influencing the medical profession in Poland.

 

The issue of postcoital contraception is seldom aired in Poland. Several factors have influenced this. These include paucity of knowledge about it, from which often stems the view that it is a means of early termination of pregnancy (85% of respondents), and hindrances created by the health service, mainly doctors who are either basically ill-prepared or who use the terms of reference of their own religious outlook and so fail to supply the patient with full information.

 

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1080/00016340701416960

Troll post removed.