CENTRAL NEWS
Poland’s highest court ruled Thursday that abortions due to fetal defects are unconstitutional, moving the country towards a near-total ban on terminations and sparking angry protests in the capital Warsaw.
Poland’s abortion laws were already among the strictest in Europe but the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling will mean an almost total ban. Once the decision comes into effect, terminations will only be allowed in cases of rape or incest, or if the mother’s health is at risk.
Rights groups had urged the government not to increase restrictions. Fewer than 2,000 legal terminations are carried out each year. But women’s groups estimate that up to 200,000 abortions are either performed illegally, or abroad.
The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights said the day marked a “sad day for women’s rights”.
