Complete Ban On Abortion Comes Into Force In Poland

Poland's controversial and nearly complete ban on abortion went into effect late Wednesday night, despite rampant opposition from hundreds of thousands of Poles who began protesting back in the fall during the country's largest demonstrations since the collapse of communism in 1989. Thousands of outraged women, teenagers and allies returned to the streets on Wednesday night, wrapping themselves in the cold after news of the entry into force of a regulation banning termination of pregnancy due to fetal abnormalities is virtually the only type of abortion performed in Poland. The decision was taken by the Constitutional Tribunal in October, but its implementation was delayed after a month of protests. On Wednesday, the government suddenly announced that the decree was being published in a government magazine, meaning it had come into effect. The protesters chanted slogans: "I think, I feel, I decide!" and "Freedom of choice instead of terror!" In Warsaw, they went to the headquarters of the ruling Law and Justice Party accompanied by songs, including "I will survive."