It has been called Czarny Protest, the black protest. It’s a movement, manly led by women dressed in black, aimed at protesting a proposed law that would ban abortion in Poland. The measure, under scrutiny of the Parliament, has already been approved by the Lower House, in a 267-to-460 vote. If enacted, it would permit abortion only to save a woman’s life and women found to have had abortions would be sentenced to up to five years in jail. Protesters also fear that women having miscarriages would be placed under investigation.

Polish women went on strike on 3 October

The protests against a proposed abortion ban started in April and spiked in a nationwide strike on the 3^rd of October, with thousands of Polish women taking to the streets. According to independent polls, more than 50 per cent of Poland’s population is contrary to the proposal. Thousands of workers and some female members of the European Parliament took part in the demonstration and other rallies were organised across Europe and the United States.

What was apparent was the level of support for the protest. Thousands of people joined what has been defined as the Polish Black Monday also in rural areas, which are more conservative than Warsaw, Danzig and other big cities. Even the catholic city of Częstochowa registered a high participation, with 60 per cent of female council employees on strike.

to podbiło moje serce #CzarnyProtest pic.twitter.com/yXwkNEySAd

— ㅤ (@niallcigarro) 3 ottobre 2016

The abortion law in Poland

Poland has a restrictive abortion law that allows to have an abortion (up to the 25th week of pregnancy) only when the woman’s life is at risk, when the foetus is seriously malformed, or when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act. According to the Czarny Protest, 10,000 to 200,000 Polish women are forced to have illegal abortions or to go abroad every year.

Tradotto da Camilla Soldati