October 22, 2020, is the day from which almost a complete ban of abortion has been announced in Poland.
Before that day, Poland was already one of the country in European Union with a very restrictive abortion law. This abortion law was passed in 1993 and allowed abortion for only three reasons: if it was the result of a criminal act like rape or incest, if it constitutes a real threat to the mother’s health or if the foetus was subject to irreversible malformation or incurrable disease.
As from October 22, 2020, allowed reasons for women to get an abortion are only restricted to the threat of the mother’s life or if it resulted of a criminal act. That is to say that abortion in case of malformation has been considered as unconstitutional as violating an article guaranteeing the right to life. However, the real issue lies in the fact that it represents almost all the abortion made in the country.
For now, the government is not taking any responsibility for this law by putting the blame back on the Constitutional Court, supposedly independent from the government. However, the truth is that the ruling party took over the Constitutional Court in an undemocratic way which generated protests in the country at that time.
It is very new for Poland to see that many people in the streets for that long. It shows nationwide solidarity which goes beyond political opinions and points of view and that is heartwarming. In Krakow, riot police, who were deployed to regulate and contain the protests, changed sides and started marching with women.
In response to these massive protests happening in time of Coronavirus and thus defying the government requirements to stay at home, it has been decided that the publication and implementation of the law have been delayed in order for the leaders to debate and discuss a potential solution to it.
This abortion law is a very emotional topic to Ania, a polish student who accepted to discuss with us on the topic. Her feelings towards the situation are mitigated as this new law is cruel and “there is no room for tolerating that” but people showed so much support to each other that she also feels “very proud that so many people took action”.
What is concerning to Ania is the fact that “there is basically no productive discussion between the government and women but women in Poland want to have a choice”.
Overall and as Ania shared in our discussion, abortion is very personal and it should be your choice in any case. “Who are they to decide? It is such a personal thing.” signs the conclusion of our discussion.
These protests go beyond abortion, it is about freedom, freedom of choice. No one should be able to decide what a woman should or has to do with her body. Abortion shouldn’t be normalised, as it should remain the exception not the rule, but it should be allowed to any woman willing to go through it for her personal reasons, that should also remain private.
Article by Juliette Blanca
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