Why Poland is having huge protests
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Published 2020-12-08
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In October and November of 2020, Poland saw its biggest protests since the fall of its communist regime 30 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of women marched in defiance of a new court ruling that would outlaw abortions under almost any circumstance.
Poland has long had some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. But in 2015, the right-wing party Law and Justice (PiS) came to power in Poland, and promptly started trying to narrow abortion access in the country even further. In 2016 they attempted to pass a total ban. They failed.
But in 2020, at the ruling party’s request, Poland’s highest court ruled that almost all abortions were illegal. They did so because Law and Justice had spent the previous few years degrading the court’s independence and turning it into an arm of the party. The protests began immediately, partly because of the ruling itself but also because of what it represents: the risk of losing not only reproductive rights but the country’s democratic institutions.
To understand why this ruling has driven so many into the streets, and exactly why it threatens Poland’s democracy, watch the video above.
Note: At 1:50, a previous version of this video illustrated a quote from Law & Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński with a photo of his late twin brother, former president Lech Kaczyński. The error has been corrected.
Sources and further reading:
To explore abortion laws around the world, check out this interactive map by the Center for Reproductive Rights:
reproductiverights.org/worldabortionlaws
If you prefer a comparative review of European abortion laws you can find it here:
reproductiverights.org/sites/default/files/documen…
To understand Poland’s evolution on abortion laws, from 1955 when it was legal on request to today's which are among the most restrictive in Europe, check out this article:
www.jstor.org/stable/2137747?seq=1
If you’d like to read Poland’s current abortion law, established in 1993, you can find it here:
www.reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.…
You can read the Constitutional Tribunal’s abortion ruling, issued on October 22nd, 2020, here:
trybunal.gov.pl/en/hearings/judgments/art/11300-pl…
Poland’s ruling drew condemnation from the Council of Europe, whose commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatović, called it "a sad day for women’s rights." You can learn more about that here:
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/22/poland-rules…
The European Stability Initiative has released a report detailing the collapse of the rule of law in Poland. You can find it here:
www.esiweb.org/publications/where-law-ends-collaps…
The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. You can read their opinion on Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal here:
www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx…
A shorter statement by the President of the Venice Commission can be found here:
www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-rule-of-law/events…
Thanks for watching! And please let us know what you think in the comments.
Watch our related video, why Poland's far-right party is pushing the EU into crisis: • Poland is pushing the EU into crisis
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All Comments (21)
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We now have translated subtitles available in Polish. Access them through the settings icon > Subtitles/CC > Polish Thanks for watching!
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And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why politics and religion should never mix with one another
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Its disgusting how governments are taking this pandemic as an opportunity to digress their systems and increase inequality
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The born dead, baptized, and buried comment is jaw dropping.
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"The Political parties have control over the constitutional tribunal" U.S: First time?
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2:01 Reporter: how many books do you want in your shot? Old lady: yes
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I would be suspicious of any party that called themselves "Law and Justice" You're likely to end up with neither.
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This feeling when you are polish and you know what is happening, but still you: 1. Watch it 2. Watch it with English subtitles
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Remember guys, this is just because the leader wants to convert the half-dead new borns into christians.
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2020, a year of protests. 2020, everyone's Breaking point.
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"Law and Justice" - what a truly Orwellian name for a party like this.
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The irony of the party's name....
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And a f**king year later THEY PASSED IT. DURING THE WORST WAVE OF COVID OF THIS PANDEMIC
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Thank you Vox for covering this topic! It's really important for us to get the word out and let people know how distressing this whole situation is ⚡️
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"Law and Justice" Palpatine: "ironic"
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If you want to carry a stillborn pregnancy to "term" Go right ahead but don't force other people to do it, it's not your body or your child.
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Imagine spending thousands preparing a funeral for a child that's not even born yet... Imagine giving birth to a child with no limbs, half the skull exposed or without organs necessary to live... Now imagine an old man who had never dealt with something like it, saying you've got no right to stop it, before the psychic pain gets too great to deal with... An old man who wants to decide on topics he has no idea about nor any understanding...
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4:02 Imagine the life of the being the only judge not appointed by the Law and Justice party
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It was great to be able to contribute to this piece as Tofu Media. Cheers!
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Im Pro-Life... but if the baby is already dead there is no point in giving birth to him to baptise him and burry him.
