In light of potential abortion bans proposed by the Polish high-court, citizens have taken to the streets in mass demonstrations to protest against future changes. The country’s constitutional moved forward with such intentions in October, when they ruled to restrict abortion laws further than ever before (Gera, 2020).
Previous abortion restrictions were more forgiving, with the procedures being permitted certain scenarios involving complications with the child. New propositions were meant to remove this exception from abortion restrictions, making Poland one of the strictest European countries in terms of regulations (Walker, 2020). This would unfortunately only make abortion acceptable in a minority of cases, those being situations of incest, rape, or if the mother’s health and wellbeing is in danger.
Citizens of all genders have deemed the ruling to be unjust, and too harsh to be passed into law indefinitely. Such concerns have continued to spark responses from the general public, who feel that physical demonstrations and protest are the best way to have their voices heard in trying times. Among such demonstrations, Polish women were not alone in their battle. Accompanied with men, women, and children of all ages, the movement continued to grow, developing into the largest one that the country has seen since anti-communist resistance in the 1900s (Gera, 2020).
Escalating demonstrations have gained more traction as of late, with the government cracking down on protestors and expressing their intolerance of these events. According to reports from within Poland, authorities have been arresting certain protestors and using excessive force unnecessarily. Such force generally involves the use of tear gas, stronger presence of authorities at protest sites, which has been coupled with numerous attacks from far-right citizens in agreement with the ruling (Gera, 2020). The ruling has been delayed due to backlash, and conversations over its ethicality are ongoing.
Lately, with coronavirus seeing a resurgence in European countries, large gatherings of people are largely discouraged while protests raise concerns for potential spikes in cases and hospitalizations. Despite restrictions already limited to small groups ranging around five people, protestors feel a strong sense of duty to continue demonstrations almost daily (Walker, 2020). Keeping this resistance alive does not allow for the issue to be forgotten, and keeps the country’s government alert. Citizens strongly wish to convey to higher officials that they will not back down any time soon, and expect to see reforms to prevent hasty rulings in the future.
Citations
Walker, S. (2020, November 03). Poland delays abortion ban as nationwide protests continue. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/03/poland-stalls-abortion-ban-amid-nationwide-protests
Gera, V. (2020, December 02). Rage and hope fuel women's revolt over abortion in Poland. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://apnews.com/article/international-news-poland-coronavirus-pandemic-warsaw-991486e805982e0824227432d901ee83
Written by Archini D. From Kearny, NJ
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