Marta Lempart, leader of the Women’s Strike coalition, announced on 12 November the launch of an initiative called “Legal Abortion – No Compromises”, aimed at ensuring access to abortion in Poland. The project will create its own website.
The Women’s Strike committee is currently composed of the parliamentarians of the left and civil society groups including, among others: Strike of Women, Abortion Dream Team, Federation for Women and Family Planning, and Lodzkie Dziewuchy Dziewuchom. They held a press conference to announce formation of the coalition.
Their aim is to submit a citizens’ legislative initiative to the parliament. They are currently drafting the text of the legal reform they are calling for. It will require gathering a large number of signatures in order to ensure it must be debated.
“Here in Poland we’re not talking about changing anti-abortion laws. We’re saying that we don’t want anti-abortion laws. We want access to a service, because abortion is a medical service,” Marta Lempart said.
There are already two bills pending in the parliament, that of the president re-allowing abortion for fatal fetal anomalies. And a second bill, which seeks to expand the rights of parents with children with disabilities. The Polish movement reject both.
SOURCES: AlJazeera, 16 November 2020 + AlJazeera PODCAST + PHOTO in Wroclaw, 26-10-20, by Tomasz Pietrzyk/Agencja Gazeta via Reuters ; The First News, 12 November 2020
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