Health & politics

POLAND MOVES TO BAN ABORTIONS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

When the right-wing anti-Europe party PiS (or Law and Justice) won a majority in the Polish parliament last year, it was expected that its pro-family manifesto would result in a resurgence of anti-abortion rhetoric.

PiS, which is closely affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, is critical of homosexuality, vocal in its opposition to same-sex marriage and IVF and largely supportive of banning abortion in most cases—even if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

Now, attempts are underway to introduce a total ban on abortion in Poland. This has the backing of the Roman Catholic Church and key figures in PiS. But many Poles, already alarmed by a spate of actions that appear to endanger civil liberties, are taking to the streets.