Warsaw, Nov. 3, (dpa/GNA) – Demonstrators blocked several key junctions in the Polish capital on Monday as protests against the recent tightening of abortion law continue in the Central European EU member state.
There were also protests in other Polish cities, marking the twelfth consecutive day of street demonstrations.
Protests have been taking place daily in Polish cities in spite of anti-coronavirus regulations after an October 22 ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal that tightened the country’s abortion law, already considered one of the more restrictive in Europe.
The court ruled that abortions carried out due to irreversible congenital defects – covering a wide range of conditions from Down’s syndrome to fatal illnesses – were illegal under the constitution, effectively introducing a near-total ban on abortions.
Since the ruling, the demonstrations have evolved into a broader anti-government protest. On Sunday, the Nationwide Women’s Strike, the main organizer of the protests, presented its demands.
The list includes on-demand abortion, respect for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, more funding for health care, a clearer separation of church and state and providing support for the disabled, among others.
On Monday, a separate protest was organized by culture sector freelancers, such as actors, who have seen their livelihoods hit by anti-coronavirus restrictions.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki repeated his appeal to end the protests to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
“Let us sit down for talks. Let our conflicts not take place in the streets and let’s prevent further infections,” Morawiecki said in an address published on social media.
The ruling has turned out to be a headache for the governing party Law and Justice (PiS) and its leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Many outside PiS see the Constitutional Tribunal as a body subjugated to the ruling party and believe that its ruling could not have been issued without Kaczynski’s blessing.
PiS is facing a visible decline in support, though it remains at the top of opinion polls. In light of the street protests, President Andrzej Duda, seen as loyal to the governing party, submitted to parliament a proposal that would partially reverse the tribunal’s ruling.
According to government spokesperson Piotr Mueller, the parliament may debate the proposal still this week. However, the president’s proposal may struggle to find support even among more conservative PiS lawmakers.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Tribunal ruling itself is yet to be published in Poland’s Official Journal, a condition necessary for it to fully take effect.
GNA