Poland: 100,000 protest attack on abortion rights

Sipa USA via AP/Krystian Dobuszynski

Demonstrators on “Black Monday” in Warsaw, Poland, Oct. 3 protest a proposed law that would effectively ban abortion. Almost 100,000 people in 60 cities across the country boycotted jobs and classes in a nationwide strike and joined protests, shutting down businesses and government offices. The largest actions — each 20,000 strong — occurred in Warsaw and Wroclaw.

Poland already has one of the most restrictive laws in Europe, allowing abortion only in cases of rape or incest, irreparable fetal damage or if the woman’s life is at risk. The Catholic Church pushes for a complete ban and the Catholic Ordo Iuris group has gathered the required number of signatures to put a “Stop Abortion” bill up for parliament’s consideration.

Legal abortions are estimated to number between 1,000 and 1,800 a year. But some 100,000 women either have abortions in private clinics or travel to other countries in the European Union annually. The new law imposes up to five years in prison for women who have abortions and for doctors who perform them.

— EMMA JOHNSON