Polish Lawmakers Retreat From Total Abortion Ban After Protests
- Policy reversal follows 100,000-strong street demonstrations
- Ruling party says it may seek to tighten abortion laws later
Polish women protest in the 'Women strike' campaign against a proposed near-total abortion ban in Poland on Oct. 3, 2016 in Warsaw, Poland.
Photographer: Kommersant Photo /Kommersant via Getty ImagesPoland’s ruling Law & Justice party, responding to a wave of protests, stopped supporting legislation to ban all abortions and set jail terms for women who end their pregnancies prematurely.
In one of the biggest policy climb-downs since winning power 11 months ago, Law & Justice lawmakers on Wednesday voted down the same measure they passed two weeks earlier, sending it back to the lower house of parliament for a final vote. The move follows “Black Monday” marches -- named for the color of demonstrators’ attire -- where about 100,000 people, mostly women, took to the streets to protest the proposed law change.