Poles Demonstrate for Abortion Rights

AFP News Brief:

More than 1,200 people marched in Warsaw on Sunday to urge changes to Poland's restrictive abortion laws and counter a bill to have a "right to life from the moment of conception" added to the country's constitution.

Rallied by feminist and leftwing organisations, the demonstrators gathered at a central Warsaw square brandishing banners calling for "abortions rights -- rights for women" and imploring parliament to "let us decide for ourselves."

They then marched to the Polish national assembly building, some two kilometres (1.2 miles) away.

Abortion is only allowed in Poland in cases of rape, incest, danger to the mother's life or irreversible malformation of the foetus. Breaking the law carries a two-year jail term.

Last week a parliamentary commission came out in favour of a proposal by the ultra-Catholic far right League of Polish Families (LPR) to have a "right to life from the moment of conception" written into the constitution, which would prevent any liberalisation of the abortion law in the future.

Feminist groups claim the bill, which needs support from 460 members of parliament to pass muster, would also lead to an outright ban on all abortion in the country.

Flags courtesy of ITA's Flags of All Countries used with permission.