Women In Poland Are Striking For Their Reproductive Rights

– Women in Poland have gone on strike in protest against proposals for a total ban on abortion, BBC News reports.

When communism did fall – with the Roman Catholic Church playing a leading role in Poland’s transition to democracy – a political fight for more restrictive bans emerged immediately. Women in London have also demonstrated their support for and solidarity with Polish women.

On Sept. 23, with a 267-154 vote in favor, Polish lawmakers sent a bill that seeks the total ban of abortion in the country to committee for further consideration.

PiS officials have been quoted in local media saying the party may introduce its own proposal in parliament that would allow abortion in the case of rape and incest and a threat to the mother’s health but disallow terminations of handicapped fetuses.

Women in 60 Polish cities have already mobilised, dubbing the strike “the black protest”, with almost six million expected to take part.

Thousands in Waraw protest a proposed total abortion ban in Poland.

Though the day was mostly peaceful, police arrested three people in Poznan for throwing rocks at the Law and Justice party headquarters in that city, an incident that injured three police officers.

Poland already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

The Catholic Church in Poland opposes the current law, and Ordo Iuris, a Catholic legal group, was behind the petition which prompted the draconian new legislation, which would even ban abortion in the case of rape.

According to Radio Poland, the proposed legislation was launched by a citizens initiative called Stop Abortion and has already passed one hurdle in parliament.

So with this newly proposed law, Polish women chose to take a stand.

Numerous participants wore all black, and a number of businesses also closed for the day in solidarity.

Known as the “black protest”, strikes are planned in more than 60 Polish cities, according to the Krakow Post.

The day of strike action was inspired by the so-called Women’s Day Off in October 1975, when the women of Iceland refused to work, look after their children, or do any housework, to protest a lack of equal rights. They marched through the country’s streets wearing black to symbolize their “grieving” for their reproductive rights in the protest, which was dubbed #BlackMonday by its organizers.

After 12 weeks, abortion is only permitted if continuing with the pregnancy would put the life or health of the woman at risk. We are protesting because it is important that women in Poland have choice. Women who have abortions face five years in prison for the “death of a conceived child”, doctors assisting them could face jail time, and another bill would curb in-vitro fertilization; critics say the bills are so badly written they could also punish miscarriage and prevent prenatal tests or lifesaving surgeries operations for fetuses. “Women nearly from the beginning of pregnancy can see the baby on the ultrasound pictures, and these pictures are suggestive”. The researchers also found that the rate of abortion was not associated with whether the procedure was legal or not.