In Poland, the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in October. Their philosophy is to bring Polish government into line with Catholic teachings.
That means tightening up what are already among Europe's most stringent anti-abortion laws.
Thousands attended a pro-choice rally outside Parliament when the PiS Party (yeah) leadership announced they would be endorsing a ban on all abortions.
“Even Iran’s abortion laws are more liberal than this proposal. That’s why we must protest,” said Marta Nowak, one of the protesters at the rally, which was organised via social media by the leftwing Together party.
Poland already has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Official statistics show only a few hundred abortions are performed every year, but pro-choice campaigners say underground abortions are common.
Poland [currently] allows the termination of a pregnancy only at an early stage and when it threatens the life or health of the mother, when the baby is likely to be permanently handicapped or when pregnancy originates from a crime such as rape or incest.
But draconian laws against women's reproductive autonomy doesn't stop there:
PiS plans to end state funding for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and reinstate a prescription requirement for “morning after” emergency contraceptive pills.
The party has a majority in parliament, and Kaczyński’s influence means that the party’s MPs tend to follow his cue. The prime minister, Beata Szydło, also expressed support for a ban.
Think it can't happen here? You don't live in Indiana or Kansas, do you?
