The wives of three former Polish presidents have expressed their disagreement with the law that could once again ban abortion in the country.
After the street, the old First Ladies. Rumors swell around the text that could ban voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) in Poland. Three wives of former Polish presidents have in turn made their voices heard against this retrograde text. The country is already very strict in terms of access to abortion.
Only three situations allow a woman to terminate her pregnancy in Poland: when it presents a risk to the health or the life of the mother, when the embryo suffers from an irreversible pathology, when the gestation is the consequence of ‘rape or incest.
This is already too much for the organizations which submitted the new text to the Polish Parliament. They are calling for an outright ban, and an extension of the prison sentence – which would go from 2 to 5 years. The proposal sparked a real outcry and numerous demonstrations, in the streets of the country and in Europe.
“Any abortion is a tragedy”
It is now Danuta Walesa – wife of President Lech Walesa (1990-1995) -, Jolanta Kwasniewska – wife of President Aleksander Kwasniewski (1995-2005) -, and Anna Komorowska – wife of President Bronislaw Komorowski (2010-2015 ) – to protest. “Any abortion is a tragedy. But we cannot aggravate the tragedy of women by forcing them to give birth to a child conceived during rape, or to risk their life and their health, or even that of their child, ”they write in a joint statement. They are worried about the idea of “abandoning the 1993 compromise on the anti-abortion law”. Indeed, this text reconciled the claims of women and the Catholic Church, very influential in the country.
In Poland, 700 to 1,800 abortions are performed each year. With a total ban, the Dare feminism association is worried about a return of the methods of angel makers: hangers, knitting needles, bleach in the womb. So many techniques that cause the death of 47,000 women every year. Only the most well-off women will be able to access correct conditions in neighboring countries, deplores the association.
