Abortion in Poland - Dissertation sur la Loi

Today, I’m going to talk about abortion in Poland, from 1956 to nowadays.To begin with, Poland is a country with a strong Catholic tradition. Abortion was allowed and free from 1956 to 1993. It has been allowed since 1993 only in three circumstances: rape, risk to the life or health of the pregnant woman, and serious malformation of the fetus. Because of many doctors who are opposed to this, it was very difficult for the pregnant woman to assert her right to abortion. For more than 20 years, people helping a pregnant woman to have an abortion risk criminal penalties. Polish women wanting to have an abortion can go abroad or to one of the many clandestine clinics operating in Poland, or they can buy abortion pills by mail order or on the black market. The right to abortion is at the center of an intense debate in Poland, part of the population wants liberalization of abortion, while another wants stricter legislation. According to a bill introduced on September 23rd 2016, abortion would only be allowed if there is a threat to the mother\’s life. The \”Stop Abortion\” committee is mobilizing and proposing a citizens\’ initiative. They want any woman who would abort or anyone who would perform an abortion to be punished by five years in prison. As a result, on October 3rd, 100,000 \”women on strike\” rally across the country, dressed in black, to demand the cancellation of this project. It’s Black Monday. After that, Jarosław Kaczyński, the current leader of the law and justice party, announces an unexpected turnaround: \”We have the greatest respect for the signatories of the bill, but by observing the social situation, we think that it would lead to a process with an effect which would be contrary to its objectives\”. Then, the bill is rejected. At the end of 2017, the \”Save Women\” collective gathers 500,000 signatures to support the creation of a right to abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. But it’s rejected by the deputies. Meanwhile, the majority party Law and Justice presents a new bill on January 8th 2018 to remove the third legal reason for abortion : the serious malformation of the fetus. The opposition to this proposal is much less than in 2016, with a thousand demonstrators on January 17th 2018. Polish women are on strike again, to defend their rights.

400;”>Nowadays, it may be difficult for a pregnant woman to find a doctor who agrees to perform an abortion, for medical or legal reasons. Any doctor can refuse the intervention, on his soul and conscience. Polish women wanting abortions can go abroad. They generally choose bordering countries belonging to the European Union, where abortion is possible under certain conditions until the 22nd week of pregnancy. In these countries, some clinics have a website and a reception in Polish. It is also possible to buy abortion pills by ordering them abroad via the Internet, or on the black market. Medical and surgical abortions are also offered illegally by many private clinics in Poland. Polish public opinion is deeply divided about abortion. Almost half of Poles think that abortion should be legal, and almost half think that it should be illegal. To conclude, Polish pro-choice women are nowadays very far from achieving full legalization of abortion, because Poland remains very attached to its Catholic traditions.

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