Debate
has begun in Poland over whether or not to ensure complete protection for unborn
children from the violence of abortion as an overwhelming majority of lawmakers
supported a citizen’s
initiative to ban abortion with a sole exception to save the mother’s
life. Members of the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament, the Sejm, voted
yesterday on two competing citizens’ initiatives on abortion with the pro-life
measure receiving the support necessary to proceed to a legislative committee.
The
citizens’ initiative to ban abortion, written by the Stop Abortion coalition
and signed by 450,000 citizens, was
supported by 267 members of the Sejm who wished to see the measure
proceed to the next legislative level while 154 were opposed and 11 abstained.
A
competing citizens’ initiative, written by the Save Women committee, had far
less support with only 215,000
signatures
and would open the door to abortion on demand for the first 12 weeks of
pregnancy. It was opposed by 230
lawmakers, supported by 173 who wished to see it proceed to the next level
while 15 members abstained from voting.
The
vote and support for protecting life is viewed as a welcome step toward
maintaining Polish sovereignty on abortion and other issues as the country
faces continued pressure from pro-abortion elites at the European Union and the
United Nations following the change in political power resulting from last
year’s election in which the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party won
control of both the government and parliament.
Historically, Poland rejected abortion on
demand in 1993 and enacted The Family Planning, Human Embryo
Protection and Conditions of Permissibility of Abortion Act following the fall of communism and the establishment of
democracy. The Abortion Act recognized the need to protect the unborn child and stated:
“Every
human being shall have a natural right to life as from the time of his
conception
“The life and
health of the child shall be placed under the protection of the law, as from
the time of its conception.”
The Stop Abortion committee is acutely
aware of the outside push for use of abortion pills by women for self-induced
abortion, including those delivered by the abortion drone operated
by Women on Waves, and of the unprecedented promotion of abortion by international
and regional entities which discount and disrespect Poland’s existing national
laws on abortion and Polish values that respect the right to life from the time
of conception.
The initiative will next proceed through
the legislative process for two additional readings which may include
amendments and changes by members of the legislative committee.
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