Poles Demonstrate for and Against Abortion

Thousands of Poles took to the streets in Warsaw Wednesday, some demanding a complete ban on abortion and others seeking its legalization.

About 3,000 Poles staged a March of Life in downtown Warsaw asking parliamentarians to pass a constitutional amendment banning abortion, the Serbian news agency Beta reported.

Two deputy prime ministers joined the demonstrators, many of whom were bused to the capital from all over Poland.

Women’s non-governmental groups organized about 1,000 demonstrators asking the government that Polish women get the same right as a majority of European women, to decide themselves whether to have children.

Existing law says abortion could be allowed in cases in which a woman’s health is in danger, the fetus was heavily damaged or pregnancy was a result of rape or incest.

March of Life protesters demanded a complete ban on abortion, even if pregnancy could result in the death of mother.

In Poland, with a population of 38 million, there are about 200 legally approved abortions a year, compared with 200,000 illegal abortions annually, Beta said.

An illegal abortion in Poland costs about $2,000.