Yesterday, Thursday, Poland’s national-conservative government approved two controversial bills at first reading. According to these, the reproductive rights of women are to be massively restricted further, and it would also be possible to prosecute people who provide sex education.
Poland already has one of the strictest regulations on abortion in Europe. Currently, abortion is only legally possible in Poland in three cases anyway: if the pregnancy is the result of rape, if the life of the expectant mother is in danger or if the foetus has serious malformations or an incurable illness. This third indication is now to be removed. As a consequence, this would mean that women would be forced to carry to term and give birth to non-viable foetuses or severely disabled children.
Hedwig Toth-Schmitz, Chairman of the Humanist Association of Germany – Federal Association, is dismayed by the result of yesterday’s parliamentary vote:
“I am appalled that human rights are being trampled on like this in a European country. Christian fundamentalist-influenced groups and conservative and right-wing nationalist political forces are showing their true colors: they do not protect life – they despise life and they despise human rights.”
The Humanist Association of Germany – Federal Association, had supported the protest against the amendment in the run-up to the vote.
The second amendment approved in parliament yesterday provides for an addition to the criminal law. According to the amendment, educators, caregivers or teachers who propagate or “praise” “sexual intercourse or other sexual acts by minors” could be punished with three years in prison. This could mean a de facto ban on sex education.
Corona crisis is being exploited to prevent civil society protest
In the past, there have been several attempts in Poland to further restrict or even completely abolish the indications for abortions, but civil society has so far been able to avert this through mass protests. Protests and demonstrations on the streets are prohibited due to the curfew and assembly restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
“It is revealing how Poland’s national-conservative government is exploiting the already vulnerable social situation caused by the coronavirus crisis to further restrict or completely abolish other fundamental rights such as women’s right to sexual and reproductive self-determination and young people’s right to unbiased sex education,” said Toth-Schmitz.
Although civil society is taking to the internet to protest, for example, the result of yesterday’s vote shows the danger that the impending restrictions cannot be averted by civil society alone this time. Both amendments still have to be discussed in the committees before they are resubmitted to Parliament. To ensure that this second hurdle to restricting fundamental rights in Poland cannot be overcome, political action by neighboring European countries and EU bodies is now urgently needed, as Toth-Schmitz explained:
“We demand that the German government disapprove of the developments in Poland. We also call on the European Commission to intervene clearly and not to leave Polish civil society alone in protecting its fundamental rights.”
