Abortion Laws in Poland
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By Emilia Ord, Year 11 North London Collegiate
oland has a contentious history in regards to abortions and women’s rights. In 1956 under Communist rule, Poland
legalised abortion in cases where the woman had "difficult living conditions". This alteration in the law brought about huge change since the previous law only allowed a woman to terminate her pregnancy if it resulted from a criminal act. The new legislation which permitted terminations under less stringent criteria meant that women from countries where abortions were restricted, such as Sweden, travelled to Poland to carry out safe and accessible abortions. This is a rather stark contrast to the state of reproductive health in Poland today. After the fall of Communism in 1989 the new democracy formed was heavily reliant on the Catholic Church for support. Consequently, the Church has undeniably imprinted its ecclesiastical values on legislation passed by the government, notably laws regarding reproductive freedoms and homosexuality. Therefore, Poland is one of the few countries in the world to backtrack on lenient legislation and revert back to harsher abortion policies, as in 1993 they removing the clause "difficult living conditions" as ground for an abortion. The stance of the Church on abortions is pro-life, citing the sanctity of life as a key reason why abortions are unjustifiable. In 2016 the right-wing conservative government in Poland attempted to completely ban abortions, in retaliation 30,000 people went on strike across the country to protest against the law. Three days after
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