Rally in Warsaw for the right to abortion

Demonstrators arriving from all over Poland defied Friday, October 30 in Warsaw the restrictions linked to the pandemic to demonstrate against a court ruling banning virtually all abortions.

"

" Marta Lempart, co-founder of the women's strike movement, who called for a rally, told reporters on Friday.

Read also: In Poland, the abortion battle resumes

A massive number of police and military police have been deployed across the capital following clashes between protesters and far-right activists over the nine consecutive days of protests.

The rally on Friday began at 4:00 p.m. GMT.

More than 400,000 people took part in the mostly peaceful protests in Poland on Wednesday, and organizers of Friday's protest expressed hope that many people would come to Warsaw.

The women's rights organizations behind these gatherings face legal action because any gathering of more than five people on the public highway is currently prohibited.

Smaller protest actions are planned in dozens of other Polish cities, including Krakow and Wroclaw, as well as abroad, such as Barcelona and Vienna.

Mass protests began last week when the Constitutional Court, reformed by PiS, the ultra-Catholic Law and Justice party in power, and complying with its wishes, outlawed voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) in cases of serious malformation of the fetus, ruling that it is "

" with the Constitution.

Protesters are angry with the PiS, whose MPs have called on the court to rule on this issue.

Read also: Poland: the Prime Minister calls for an end to "barbarism" of pro-abortion demonstrations

Poland, a country of 38 million inhabitants, with a strong Catholic tradition, already has an anti-abortion law that is among the most restrictive in Europe.

There are less than 2,000 legal abortions per year in Poland, according to official data.

Feminist organizations estimate that more than 200,000 abortions are performed illegally or performed abroad each year.

Once published in the official journal, the decision of the Constitutional Court will result in the prohibition of all abortions except in cases of rape and incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.

Presidential draft amendment

The government defended the move, saying it would end "

," but human rights organizations insist it will now force women to deliver babies that are not viable.

President Andrzej Duda on Friday proposed a draft amendment to the existing abortion law which, according to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, "

."

The project would still ban abortion in cases of malformed fetuses, unless medical tests show a high probability that the baby is stillborn or has a terminal illness or defect.

Read also: Poland: pro-abortion protesters block several cities

Liberal opposition MP Katarzyna Lubnauer called the proposal "

".

"

" she told the TVN24 news channel.

Government officials have called the protests acts of "

" and "

" after some attacks on Catholic churches.

Far-right groups called on Warsaw residents to “

” churches during Friday's protest, although its organizers said they did not plan to target religious institutions again.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday warned of the possible consequences of protests during the pandemic, when the Ministry of Health announced a record 21,629 new infections in 24 hours.

"

," Morawiecki wrote on Facebook.

These protest actions are due to continue next week.