While abortion is still illegal in the country, there were a few thousand of them this Friday, March 8, in front of the Polish presidential palace, to demand change. Although Parliament voted for the legalization of the morning-after pill, the president, an ally of the ultraconservatives, nevertheless vetoed it and delayed the procedure.
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With our correspondent in Warsaw, Martin Chabal
THE Polish came to raise their voices in front of the presidential palace, like Maria, 18 years old. “ We are here for two things. Abortion and the morning after pill. It’s our body ! », chants the young Polish woman. And Maria knows how important being able to buy a morning-after pill, without a prescription in a pharmacy, as Parliament voted for, is.
“ I needed the morning after pill two years ago. Fortunately, I was able to go to the doctor quickly. But not all girls and women have such access and I wish they all had it », she continues. And obviously, from Poland, we look at what is being done in France. The inclusion of the right to abortion in the Constitution is a victory for these activists.
For activists, this plays out above all on the national political scene
But for Izabela, including abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, as Emmanuel Macron would like, is not the solution. “ Knowing the Polish Parliament, it is not going to follow European directives. Our government would rather pay a fine than pass the laws we are fighting for », she regrets.
For many of these activists, it is the national political scene that this must be played out. And Parliament is due to meet in early April to discuss pro-abortion laws.
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