Poland: Reject New Curbs on Abortion, Sex Ed

Poland: Reject New Curbs on Abortion, Sex Ed
Don’t Manipulate Pandemic to Endanger Women, Adolescents

April 14, 2020
Human Rights Watch

(London) – Poland’s Parliament will consider regressive legislation this week that would restrict sexual and reproductive health and rights and put the lives and well-being of women and adolescents at risk, Human Rights Watch said today. The legislation is scheduled for reading on April 15 or 16, 2020 as the country remains under a COVID-19-related state of emergency that bans group gatherings.

The bills under consideration were originally introduced in March 2018 and October 2019, and have since been stalled or not moved forward under the Parliament elected in November 2019. Both were met by street protests.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/14/poland-reject-new-curbs-abortion-sex-ed

Poland – Barbarian anti-abortion bill back in the fundamentalists’ game

Barbarian anti-abortion bill back in the fundamentalists’ game
June 29, 2018

Fundamentalists led by activist Kaja Godek forced the Social Policy and Family Committee to debate the repressive “Stop abortion” bill on Monday (2.07.2018) at 4 pm. Let us recall that this draft law would penalize abortions in case of foetal impairment, which now make up 95% of all legal abortions performed in the Polish hospitals. This decision comes as a surprise, because the committee declared not to deal with this draft law in the foreseeable future. Even more disrupting is the fact that Godek informed about the Monday session before a) it was announced at the website of the Parliament b) MPs were informed about the bill having been added to the Committee’s agenda. Since March, the anti-choice groups has led an intensified lobbying on the streets, social media, accusing the ruling party (Law and Justice) of being treacherous and too reluctant to sanction the abortion ban. Godek participated in many Committee’s session to exert pressure on the chairperson so that she would include the draft law in the agenda. The Committee received many critical opinions about the bill from the parliamentary Bureau of Research, The Supreme Bar Council, The Amnesty International Poland, The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and The Federation for Women and Family Planning.

Continued: http://en.federa.org.pl/barbarian-anti-abortion-bill-back-in-the-game/

Poland – Great mobilization on #BlackFriday

Great mobilization on #BlackFriday
March 24, 2018

March 23 is yet another historic moment in the Polish history. Renewed attempt to ban abortion in case of foetal impairment have brought almost 90 000 people to the streets of Warsaw, not to mention other 23 cities in Poland and 13 abroad. How did it start?

On the March, 14 the Polish Episcopal Conference appealed for the “Stop abortion” bill to be proceeded. A day later, the Head of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights announced that the opinion on the draft law will be issued on the next Monday (19.03). This illustrates the enormous power of the Church and the strong resistance of the politicians to put human rights over their own interests in the light of the upcoming elections in 2018 (local) and 2019 (national).

Continued: http://en.federa.org.pl/great-mobilization-on-blackfriday/

Poland abortion: Protests against bill imposing new limits

Poland abortion: Protests against bill imposing new limits

March 23, 2018

Thousands of people have taken to streets across Poland against plans to further tighten the abortion laws, already among Europe's strictest.

A bill in parliament seeks to ban abortions in cases of foetal abnormality - one of the few exceptions allowed under the current law.

Continued: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43514965

Thousands join ‘Black Friday’ marches against Polish abortion restrictions

Thousands join 'Black Friday' marches against Polish abortion restrictions

March 23, 2018
Anna Koper, Marcin Goettig

WARSAW (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Poles dressed in black protested across the country on Friday against an attempt by the ruling conservatives and the powerful Catholic Church to ban most abortions.

The “Stop Abortion” draft bill, opposed by numerous rights groups, would remove the main legal recourse Polish women have for getting a termination in a country that already has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the European Union.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-abortion/thousands-join-black-friday-marches-against-polish-abortion-restrictions-idUSKBN1GZ2LP

Poland: Reject Bill to Further Limit Abortion Rights

Poland: Reject Bill to Further Limit Abortion Rights
Proposed Bill Continues Roll Back on Reproductive Rights

March 22, 2018

(Warsaw) – Poland’s Parliament should listen to the voices of women across Poland and reject a regressive legislative proposal that would erode reproductive rights, more than 200 human and women’s rights groups from across the globe said in a statement issued today.

The Parliament is debating a draft bill entitled “Stop Abortion.” If adopted, this legislation will severely limit the already restricted grounds on which women can lawfully access abortion in Poland. It will place women’s health and lives at risk and violate Poland’s international human rights obligations, the groups said.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/22/poland-reject-bill-further-limit-abortion-rights

UN statement: Poland must not further restrict sexual and reproductive health and rights

POLAND – UN WORKING GROUP STATEMENT: Poland must not further restrict sexual and reproductive health and rights, say UN experts
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion

Geneva (22 March 2018) – A group of United Nations human rights experts has called on the Polish parliament to reject a new draft bill entitled “Stop Abortion” which will be debated this week and which risks causing serious damage to women’s health and lives, and violating Poland’s international human rights obligations.

The United Nations Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice has called on the Polish Parliament to reject a draft bill up for consideration this week that would ban abortion in situations where there is a severe fetal anomaly, one of only three legal grounds for termination of pregnancy available in a country that already has one of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/poland-un-working-group-statement-poland-must-not-further-restrict-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-say-un-experts/