Poland will make it illegal to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal defects as the country tightens its abortion laws.
The court ruling, which will make abortion only permissible in the case of incest, rape, or a threat to the mother’s life, sparked protests across the country.
Julia Przylebska, the Head of the Constitutional Tribunal, said: “(A provision which) legalises eugenic practices in the field of the right to life of an unborn child and makes the right to life of an unborn child dependent on his or her health is inconsistent with the constitution.”
After the ruling, hundreds of people marched the streets with some carrying signs that read ‘torture’ while others held lighted candles.
Demonstrations also took place in the cities of Lodz, Szczecin, and Krakow.
Marianna Dobkowska, 41, said: “It’s sick that such controversial things are being decided at a time when the entire society lives in fear [of the pandemic] and is afraid to go into the streets.”
Women’s rights and opposition groups were left disappointed with the results.
Lawyer Kamila Ference said: “The worst-case scenario that could have come true has come true. It is a devastating sentence that will destroy the lives of many women and many families.
She added: “It will especially force the poor to give birth to children against their will. Either they have no chance of surviving, or they have no chance of an independent existence, or they will die shortly after giving birth.”
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic also said: “Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates human rights. Today’s ruling of the Constitutional Court means underground/abroad abortions for those who can afford and even greater ordeal for all others.”
Maria Kurowska, a lawmaker with United Poland, said: “We are glad with what the Constitutional Tribunal ruled because one cannot kill a child for being sick. This is not a foetus, it is a child.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!
Replaced!