Violation of women's rights in Poland: UN voices concern
Women's rights are a recurring subject in Polish public discourse. The 2020 ruling by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, which effectively imposed a near-total ban on abortion, has intensified this debate. The issue has also drawn the attention of the United Nations.
In October 2020, Poland was in turmoil following a landmark decision by the Constitutional Tribunal, which ruled that abortion was incompatible with the Polish constitution. As a result, abortion became virtually illegal, permitted only in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life was in immediate danger. Despite these exceptions, there have been high-profile instances where women died because doctors refused to perform abortions.
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The Tribunal's ruling made headlines worldwide, primarily due to the massive protests that erupted, with hundreds of thousands of women taking to the streets to demand the right to legal abortion. In response, the United Nations established a special Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2021 to investigate whether human rights were being upheld in Poland. On Monday, 26 August, a special inquiry report on the matter was published.
Women's rights violated in Poland
On Monday, 26 August, Genoveva Tisheva, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, released a special inquiry report. The expert and CEDAW member Lia Nadaria visited Poland in 2022 and reported that the then United Right government had cooperated without any objections. However, Tisheva's report did not bring encouraging news for Poland.
"Women in Poland are facing severe human rights violations due to restrictive abortion laws, with many forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, seek unsafe clandestine procedures, or travel abroad for legal abortions," stated Genoveva Tisheva.
She further added that the abortion law currently enforced in Poland "constitutes gender-based violence against women and may rise to the level of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment." Tisheva also highlighted that many doctors are hesitant or afraid to perform abortions due to potential repercussions, with some refusing to perform the procedure on moral or religious grounds.
Additionally, Tisheva emphasised that access to abortion is "severely hampered," even in cases where the pregnancy is the result of a prohibited act. She noted that the situation is exacerbated "by powerful anti-abortion lobbying groups" that are also pushing for the prohibition of any assistance or information related to terminating a pregnancy.
Source: radiozet.pl
