Wave of protest following the Court ruling on abortion

Ten post jest także dostępny w języku: polski

The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the provision on abortion in the case of the high probability of a severe and irreversible impairment of the fetus or an incurable life-threatening illness is unconstitutional. The ruling caused a wave of protests throughout the country. Representatives of many communities took to the streets to publicly demonstrate their opposition.

Regulations on abortion that are unconstitutional?

In Poland, in accordance with the regulations which have been in force so far, a woman could have an abortion in three situations: in the case of a threat to the mother’s life, rape or serious defects of the fetus. The recent judgment of the Constitutional Court, however, states that regulations on embryopathological abortion are not in line with the constitution.

The ruling states that “The Court upholds the position that human life is a value at every stage of development and, as a value derived from constitutional provisions, it should be protected by the legislator not only in the form of provisions guaranteeing the survival of a human being as a purely biological entity, but also as a whole, for whose existence appropriate social, livelihood and cultural conditions are also necessary in its entirety.”

Manifestations throughout the country

The ruling of the Constitutional Court triggered a wave of protests throughout Poland. Since Thursday, the demonstrations have taken various forms. Yesterday, for example, protests were held around churches and some services were interrupted. The protests also took place in front of the PiS headquarters and the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. There were also protests in front of the Krakowska and Warsaw Curia buildings. As Onet informs, as many as 226 meetings concerning the controversial verdict on abortion were held on Sunday.

However, this is not the end. Over 100 more demonstrations are planned for today. The protesters are planning to block the streets in order to defend women’s rights. The protests will take place not only in the largest cities, but also in smaller towns.