Poland already had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, but new changes have effectively banned them completely.

Women in Poland struggle to find doctors to help them

Massive protests broke out in Polish cities shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law.

Protesters in the capital Warsaw lit red flares, waved rainbow flags associated with LGBT community and brandished placards reading "This Means War" and "Free Choice, Not Terror".

Many also held up the red lightning symbol used by pro-choice activists as they brought traffic to a halt.

The ruling is supported by Poland's right-wing and ultra-Catholic government, which said it was giving it legal force by publishing it in the Journal of Laws in order to respect its constitutional obligations.

The government said that step opens the way for the verdict to be officially published. That means abortions will only be permitted in cases of rape, incest and when a mother's life is endangered.&nbsp;

Predominantly Catholic Poland already has one of Europe's most restrictive laws on abortion.

There are fewer than 2,000 legal abortions every year and women's groups estimate that an additional 200,000 women abort either illegally or abroad.

Borys Budka, head of the opposition Civic Platform, said the publication of the ruling was a "provocation".

Wanda Nowicka of the Left party tweeted: "You have not yet won this war against women and you will not win."

The government had delayed publishing the ruling after nationwide demonstrations held in defiance of coronavirus restrictions banning rallies.

The protests sparked by the abortion ruling, many of them led by teens, soon became an expression of wider anti-government sentiment.

The biggest protests brought together tens of thousands of people in what organisers said was a generational "revolution" against the status quo, including against Poland's Catholic hierarchy.

But polling experts say that a "silent majority" of Poles support the existing abortion legislation and only a small number want wider abortion rights.

The government has defended the verdict, saying it will halt "eugenic abortions", referring to the termination of foetuses diagnosed with Down's Syndrome, but human rights groups have said it will force women to carry non-viable pregnancies.

(With inputs from agencies)

Massive protests broke out in Polish cities shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law.

Massive protests broke out in Polish cities shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law. Protesters in the capital Warsaw lit red flares, waved rainbow flags associated with LGBT community and brandished placards reading "This Means War" and "Free Choice, Not Terror". Many also held up the red lightning symbol used by pro-choice activists as they brought traffic to a halt. The ruling is supported by Poland's right-wing and ultra-Catholic government, which said it was giving it legal force by publishing it in the Journal of Laws in order to respect its constitutional obligations. The government said that step opens the way for the verdict to be officially published. That means abortions will only be permitted in cases of rape, incest and when a mother's life is endangered. Predominantly Catholic Poland already has one of Europe's most restrictive laws on abortion. There are fewer than 2,000 legal abortions every year and women's groups estimate that an additional 200,000 women abort either illegally or abroad. Borys Budka, head of the opposition Civic Platform, said the publication of the ruling was a "provocation". Wanda Nowicka of the Left party tweeted: "You have not yet won this war against women and you will not win." The government had delayed publishing the ruling after nationwide demonstrations held in defiance of coronavirus restrictions banning rallies. The protests sparked by the abortion ruling, many of them led by teens, soon became an expression of wider anti-government sentiment. The biggest protests brought together tens of thousands of people in what organisers said was a generational "revolution" against the status quo, including against Poland's Catholic hierarchy. But polling experts say that a "silent majority" of Poles support the existing abortion legislation and only a small number want wider abortion rights. The government has defended the verdict, saying it will halt "eugenic abortions", referring to the termination of foetuses diagnosed with Down's Syndrome, but human rights groups have said it will force women to carry non-viable pregnancies. (With inputs from agencies)

Poland abortion law: Protesters take to streets again as near-total ban comes into force

Poland is a largely conservative country compared to much of Europe, a place where churches fill up on Sundays and Roman Catholicism is deeply interwoven with the national identity.

So why has a court ruling restricting abortion sparked more than a week of angry protests across the central European nation of 38 million?

Hundreds of thousands have been pouring into the streets for days, defying the risk of contagion amid a spike in COVID-19 infections that have been hitting new records each day, reaching nearly 22,000 on Friday.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appealed to abortion rights activists to halt mass protests, saying they would fuel more coronavirus infections and threaten the elderly.

With a mass march scheduled for Friday evening in Warsaw, let's take&nbsp;a look at some of the key issues.

TOP COURT RULES

The immediate trigger of the protests was an October 22 decision by the constitutional court that had been asked to rule on a provision of a 27-year-old law that allows abortions in cases of severe fetal deformity, including Down syndrome.

The latter is one of the main reasons cited for the roughly 1,000 legal terminations performed in Poland each year.

Lawmakers with the ruling Law and Justice party were among those who sought the court's review. They say they want to ensure fetuses with Down syndrome are allowed to be born.

POLAND IN THE BIGGER PICTURE

Klementyna Suchanow, one of the main organisers with the initiative Women's Strike, the key force behind the protests, said Poland is just one element in a global struggle where democracies face a challenge from fundamentalist and authoritarian forces.

Whatever happens now in Poland will be crucial for democracy worldwide, says Suchanow, the author of 'This is War: Women, Fundamentalists, and the new Middle Ages,'&nbsp;a book on international ultra-conservative groups that want to ban all abortions. 
The groups say they are fighting to preserve traditional families, and also fight same-sex marriage.

The slogan 'This is War'&nbsp;has been repeated often on banners carried at the protests in Poland.

COMPROMISE BROKEN

Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive laws, hammered out in 1993 between political and Catholic church leaders. 
It allowed abortions only in the cases of fetal defects, risk to the woman's health and incest or rape.

It was born from difficult negotiations after the fall of communism, when the Soviet bloc countries had liberal abortion laws. 
The church, long repressed by the communist regime, sought a full ban in line with its view that all life must be protected from the moment of conception.

Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former left-wing president, said this week: ''It seems to me that in 1993, it was the only possible compromise.''&nbsp;However, neither side has ever been satisfied with the 1993 law.

Earlier attempts by the conservative ruling party to replace it with a blanket ban on abortions were met with enormous street protests in 2016 and 2017 and shelved.

POLITICAL CALCULATIONS

The government appears to have calculated that it could change the law with less of a backlash by getting a court under its political control to do the job during the pandemic. If so, the plan has backfired.

The ruling Law and Justice party won a second term in 2019 and President Andrzej Duda, a party ally, was re-elected this summer. 
With three years to go before the next elections, it seemed the right time to push through an unpopular move that is widely understood as a reward to the church and ultraconservative groups for their political support.

While a large majority of Poles disapprove of the court ruling, some of the protesters' methods have also met with disapproval, including vulgar language, vandalizing churches, and disrupting Masses.

''If they continue that way, they will lose support,''&nbsp;said Marcin Zaborowski, a political analyst and author with Visegrad Insight, a policy journal focused on Central Europe.

THE COURT'S AUTHORITY

The Constitutional Tribunal, which ruled to restrict abortion, is itself the product of a separate controversy: the ruling party's takeover of the courts, an issue at the heart of a 5-year standoff with the European Union. 
Of 15 judges on the court, 14 were picked by Law and Justice for nine-year terms, three of them chosen in a manner that violates Polish law. 
This has led some legal scholars to declare that the court itself is illegitimate and that the abortion ruling has no legal validity. Many critics now refer to the court as 'Julia Przylebska's tribunal',&nbsp;a reference to the court president who is a Law and Justice party loyalist.

''This is an ineffective ruling from the constitutional court. It has no legal consequences,''&nbsp;said Michal Wawrykiewicz, a lawyer with Free Courts, an initiative fighting for rule of law.

Wawrykiewicz said the ruling is likely to unleash legal chaos because the government will treat it as legally binding but many doctors will not.

If doctors are sued for performing abortions of damaged fetuses, they will be sued in lower courts, where judges have maintained a large degree of independence and can be expected to rule in their favour.

Ultimately the issue will need to be resolved by the EU's Court of Justice.

A YOUTH REVOLT

While traditionally conservative, Poland has also been undergoing massive social changes under the influence of EU membership, which has led many Poles to travel and study abroad, and of popular culture influences such as Netflix.

The protests of the past week have been dominated by young people, who believe that the abortion ruling infringes on their liberties. 
Dominika Stankiewicz, a 26-year-old who was handing out protest stickers and posters in Warsaw's Mokotow district on Thursday, said abortion is the only issue that has ever brought her to the streets to protests. 
&nbsp;

Poland is a largely conservative country compared to much of Europe, a place where churches fill up on Sundays and Roman Catholicism is deeply interwoven with the national identity.

Poland is a largely conservative country compared to much of Europe, a place where churches fill up on Sundays and Roman Catholicism is deeply interwoven with the national identity. So why has a court ruling restricting abortion sparked more than a week of angry protests across the central European nation of 38 million? Hundreds of thousands have been pouring into the streets for days, defying the risk of contagion amid a spike in COVID-19 infections that have been hitting new records each day, reaching nearly 22,000 on Friday. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appealed to abortion rights activists to halt mass protests, saying they would fuel more coronavirus infections and threaten the elderly. With a mass march scheduled for Friday evening in Warsaw, let's take a look at some of the key issues. TOP COURT RULES The immediate trigger of the protests was an October 22 decision by the constitutional court that had been asked to rule on a provision of a 27-year-old law that allows abortions in cases of severe fetal deformity, including Down syndrome. The latter is one of the main reasons cited for the roughly 1,000 legal terminations performed in Poland each year. Lawmakers with the ruling Law and Justice party were among those who sought the court's review. They say they want to ensure fetuses with Down syndrome are allowed to be born. POLAND IN THE BIGGER PICTURE Klementyna Suchanow, one of the main organisers with the initiative Women's Strike, the key force behind the protests, said Poland is just one element in a global struggle where democracies face a challenge from fundamentalist and authoritarian forces. Whatever happens now in Poland will be crucial for democracy worldwide, says Suchanow, the author of 'This is War: Women, Fundamentalists, and the new Middle Ages,' a book on international ultra-conservative groups that want to ban all abortions. The groups say they are fighting to preserve traditional families, and also fight same-sex marriage. The slogan 'This is War' has been repeated often on banners carried at the protests in Poland. COMPROMISE BROKEN Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive laws, hammered out in 1993 between political and Catholic church leaders. It allowed abortions only in the cases of fetal defects, risk to the woman's health and incest or rape. It was born from difficult negotiations after the fall of communism, when the Soviet bloc countries had liberal abortion laws. The church, long repressed by the communist regime, sought a full ban in line with its view that all life must be protected from the moment of conception. Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former left-wing president, said this week: ''It seems to me that in 1993, it was the only possible compromise.'' However, neither side has ever been satisfied with the 1993 law. Earlier attempts by the conservative ruling party to replace it with a blanket ban on abortions were met with enormous street protests in 2016 and 2017 and shelved. POLITICAL CALCULATIONS The government appears to have calculated that it could change the law with less of a backlash by getting a court under its political control to do the job during the pandemic. If so, the plan has backfired. The ruling Law and Justice party won a second term in 2019 and President Andrzej Duda, a party ally, was re-elected this summer. With three years to go before the next elections, it seemed the right time to push through an unpopular move that is widely understood as a reward to the church and ultraconservative groups for their political support. While a large majority of Poles disapprove of the court ruling, some of the protesters' methods have also met with disapproval, including vulgar language, vandalizing churches, and disrupting Masses. ''If they continue that way, they will lose support,'' said Marcin Zaborowski, a political analyst and author with Visegrad Insight, a policy journal focused on Central Europe. THE COURT'S AUTHORITY The Constitutional Tribunal, which ruled to restrict abortion, is itself the product of a separate controversy: the ruling party's takeover of the courts, an issue at the heart of a 5-year standoff with the European Union. Of 15 judges on the court, 14 were picked by Law and Justice for nine-year terms, three of them chosen in a manner that violates Polish law. This has led some legal scholars to declare that the court itself is illegitimate and that the abortion ruling has no legal validity. Many critics now refer to the court as 'Julia Przylebska's tribunal', a reference to the court president who is a Law and Justice party loyalist. ''This is an ineffective ruling from the constitutional court. It has no legal consequences,'' said Michal Wawrykiewicz, a lawyer with Free Courts, an initiative fighting for rule of law. Wawrykiewicz said the ruling is likely to unleash legal chaos because the government will treat it as legally binding but many doctors will not. If doctors are sued for performing abortions of damaged fetuses, they will be sued in lower courts, where judges have maintained a large degree of independence and can be expected to rule in their favour. Ultimately the issue will need to be resolved by the EU's Court of Justice. A YOUTH REVOLT While traditionally conservative, Poland has also been undergoing massive social changes under the influence of EU membership, which has led many Poles to travel and study abroad, and of popular culture influences such as Netflix. The protests of the past week have been dominated by young people, who believe that the abortion ruling infringes on their liberties. Dominika Stankiewicz, a 26-year-old who was handing out protest stickers and posters in Warsaw's Mokotow district on Thursday, said abortion is the only issue that has ever brought her to the streets to protests.

Why an abortion law ruling trigged mass protests in Poland

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Thursday that abortion due to foetal defects was unconstitutional, banning the most common of the few legal grounds for pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country.

After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permissible in&nbsp;Poland&nbsp;in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother's health and life, which make up only around 2 per cent&nbsp;of legal terminations conducted in recent years.

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The development pushes&nbsp;Poland&nbsp;further away from the European mainstream, as the only EU country apart from tiny Malta to severely restrict access to abortion.

Women's rights groups reacted with dismay and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic called it a "sad day for women's rights."

"Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in&nbsp;Poland&nbsp;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," Mijatovic wrote.

Conservative values have played a growing role in public life in&nbsp;Poland&nbsp;since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) came into power five years ago on a promise to defend what it sees as the nation's traditional, Catholic character.

Curbing access to abortion has been a long-standing ambition of the party, but it has stepped back from previous legislative proposals amid a widespread public backlash.

Critics say the Constitutional Tribunal may have acted on the party's behalf. While the Tribunal is nominally independent, most of its judges have been appointed by PiS. The party denies trying to influence the court.

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Thursday that abortion due to foetal defects was unconstitutional, banning the most common of the few legal grounds for pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country.

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Thursday that abortion due to foetal defects was unconstitutional, banning the most common of the few legal grounds for pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country. After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permissible in Poland in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother's health and life, which make up only around 2 per cent of legal terminations conducted in recent years. The development pushes Poland further away from the European mainstream, as the only EU country apart from tiny Malta to severely restrict access to abortion. Women's rights groups reacted with dismay and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic called it a "sad day for women's rights." "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," Mijatovic wrote. Conservative values have played a growing role in public life in Poland since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) came into power five years ago on a promise to defend what it sees as the nation's traditional, Catholic character. Curbing access to abortion has been a long-standing ambition of the party, but it has stepped back from previous legislative proposals amid a widespread public backlash. Critics say the Constitutional Tribunal may have acted on the party's behalf. While the Tribunal is nominally independent, most of its judges have been appointed by PiS. The party denies trying to influence the court.

Poland abortion: Apex court bans almost all terminations

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Women in Poland struggle to find doctors to help them

Poland abortion law: Protesters take to streets again as near-total ban comes into force

Why an abortion law ruling trigged mass protests in Poland

Poland abortion: Apex court bans almost all terminations