The Poles continue their mobilization to defend the right to abortion.
Several thousand people again took to the streets of Warsaw on Friday evening to shout their anger, following the entry into force of a controversial ruling virtually banning abortion.
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- Marysia Ciupka (@MarysiaCiupka) January 29, 2021
Similar gatherings were also held in other cities in Poland, for the third night in a row since the publication of the Constitutional Court's judgment in the Official Journal on Wednesday.
In accordance with the wishes of the ruling ultra-Catholic right-wing coalition, this judgment prohibits the voluntary termination of pregnancy in the event of fetal abnormalities.
From now on, any abortion is prohibited in Poland except in cases of rape or incest or when the mother's life is in danger.
“My body, my choice”, “I think, I feel, I decide”, “The revolution, it has a uterus”, “You have blood on your hands”, proclaimed the signs brandished by the demonstrators in Warsaw where several thousand people responded to the call for the Women's Strike, the main movement behind the protests.
Roadblocks set up by the police
Many of the protesters wore masks adorned with a red lightning bolt, the symbol of pro-abortion activists.
Calls for "abortion on demand" and warnings to the government that will be "abolished by women" resounded to the sound of drums and some smoke firecrackers.
Aleksandra Szmigiel / REUTERS
Some wore green scarves around their necks, the symbol of abortion rights activists in Argentina, who were successful in securing abortion legalization in their country last month.
The police set up roadblocks to prevent the procession from moving through the center of the capital.
The day before, the police arrested several people who tried to enter the building of the Constitutional Court.
Less than 2,000 abortions per year
Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.
Today, there are less than 2,000 legal abortions per year in Poland, according to official data.
Feminist organizations also estimate that around 200,000 abortions are performed illegally or abroad each year.
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The government says the new ban will end "eugenic abortions", referring to the abortion of fetuses diagnosed with Down's syndrome, but according to many human rights organizations, this measure will force women to abort. lead unviable pregnancies.
The tribunal's ruling was handed down in October, but the government delayed its formalization amid mass protests that quickly adopted much broader anti-government slogans.