An estimated six million people on Monday rallied in protest of a proposed ban on abortion care in Poland, many boycotting work and classes to do so, the Washington Post's "WorldViews" reports (Noack, "WorldViews," Washington Post, 10/3).
Background
In 1993, Poland enacted a law that bans abortion care except when the pregnant woman's life or health is at risk, when there are fetal anomalies or when the pregnancy is the result of a crime, such as rape or incest.
The law is one of the most restrictive in Europe. In addition, according to advocates, women who qualify for abortion care often face difficulty finding a willing provider in the country.
Recently, Poland's conservative government, supported by the Catholic Church, has been pushing a measure that would impose a near total abortion ban. Under the bill, anyone who knowingly induces an abortion would face up to five years in prison. The measure includes a limited exemption for physicians and pregnant women in cases when the procedure is intended to save a woman's life.
Lawmakers in the country began debate over the ban last month, spurring several thousand abortion-rights supporters to protest the proposal in cities across the country. The bill was brought before lawmakers along with a counter-proposal that aims to boost abortion access in the country. The abortion-rights bill has garnered 215,000 signatures (Women's Health Policy Report, 9/20).
'Black Monday' participants boycott work, rally in support of abortion rights
Dubbing the protest "Black Monday," abortion-rights supporters rallied against the abortion ban in Warsaw and about 90 other Polish cities, as well as in Berlin, Brussels, London, Paris and Barcelona (Berendt, New York Times, 10/3). Participants dressed in black as a symbol of mourning, meant to signify the loss of both reproductive rights and lives of women under the proposed ban should it become law (Gera, AP/Sacramento Bee, 10/3).
According to the Times, the Black Monday boycotts and rallies marked the culmination of about two weeks of protests against the proposal. Several employers throughout the country, as well as academic institutions, allowed employees and students to take the day off on Monday to participate in the rallies.
Comments
Barbara Nowacka, leader of the liberal initiative Save Women, said, "This is a barbarian proposal that will move Poland back to medieval times ... The worst thing is that this barbarity finds approval in the eyes of those in power."
Separately, Romuald Debski, head of gynecology and obstetrics at Bielanski Hospital in Warsaw, said the proposed law could deter providers from offering women the full range of prenatal care. For example, he explained that invasive prenatal procedures carry a slight miscarriage risk. "This would be the end of prenatal diagnostics," he said, adding, "I couldn't do basic prenatal tests, like the amniotic fluid test that allows me to determine whether I'm dealing with certain genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome. Should the procedure go wrong, I could end up in jail. I won't risk that" (New York Times, 10/3).
Kasia Staszewska, director of Amnesty International UK's Women's Rights program, said, "Poland's abortion law is already one of the most restrictive in Europe and these proposals are an all-out assault on women and girls and their right to make decisions about their own bodies." She added, "A woman who needs an abortion is not a criminal, and decisions about her body and her health should never be placed in the hands of politicians."
Hillary Margolis, a researcher for the Women's Rights Division, also spoke out against the proposed ban. "It ... won't stop abortions but just push them into back alleys and bathrooms, where the risks of long-term damage and death multiply," she said (Simmons, Los Angeles Times, 10/3).
