Thousands protest in Poland against restrictive abortion ban draft law

Tens of thousands of Poles dressed in black protested across the country on Friday against the proposed laws to restrict abortions even further. The so-called “black marches” were organized in numerous Polish cities, with the biggest one in Warsaw. According to local authorities, 55,000 people took part in the protests in the Polish capital. Under current law, abortion in Poland is allowed in three cases, when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, when it poses a danger to mother’s health, or when prenatal tests show serious, irreversible damage to the fetus. The new law would remove the last category, which currently covers more than 90 percent of legal abortions. This is the second attempt by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) grouping to restrict abortion law. Back in 2016, a stricter draft was being worked on in the Parliament, but after hundred thousand people took to the streets in protests, PiS backed down. The new laws are backed by the Polish Catholic church which called on lawmakers to show “unconditional respect for every human being in all moments of its existence.” The contested draft is being worked on in the Parliament. It was already approved by the justice and human rights commission and will be discussed in another commission before being sent to MPs for a vote. President Andrzej Duda has already said that he will sign the bill into law if approved by parliament.