“Forcing women to give birth to terminally ill, deformed children, incapable of having an independent and conscious life is a crime”, points out the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) commenting on the recent controversial ruling by the country's constitutional court which banned almost all abortions.
According to the reactionary decision, abortions carried out when the fetus is malformed, which accounted for 98% of legal terminations last year, are outlawed. Although fewer than 2,000 legal abortions are carried out each year in Poland, it is estimated than up to 200,000 terminations are either performed illegally, or abroad.
According to the reactionary decision, abortions carried out when the fetus is malformed, which accounted for 98% of legal terminations last year, are outlawed. Although fewer than 2,000 legal abortions are carried out each year in Poland, it is estimated than up to 200,000 terminations are either performed illegally, or abroad.
In a statement, the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) condemns the ruling of the so-called constitutional court (a ruling party-controlled body), pointing out that it “is trying to impose religious prohibition in the whole society that are inconsistent with the current state of medical knowledge and contemporary ethics”.
The KPP stresses out that “it is not without reason that the decision in such a controversial case, which was postponed for the period after the elections, was taken by the court during the escalation of the pandemic, when assemblies' organization and protests are banned”.
The statement also reads:
“Forcing women to give birth to terminally ill, deformed children, incapable of having an independent and conscious life, is a crime. This will contribute to the tragedy of many women and entire families, especially those of the working class, the marginalized and the poor. Currently, the Polish state does not provide adequate care even to the people with a lesser degree of disability. Forcing to give birth to a creature that is irrevocably sentenced to death is torture, prohibited by all civilized laws”.
According to the KPP, the major driving force behind this ruling is the Catholic Church, an institution with a deeply reactionary role, not only in Poland but worldwide:
“We stand for religious freedom for believers, however the rules of religion cannot be imposed on society at large. The main driver of reactionary ideological changes in legislation is the Catholic Church. We believe that a real separation of the Church and the State is necessary”.
The Communist Party of Poland also stresses out that it is necessary “to adopt standards prohibiting the combination of state events with religious elements, religious indoctrination in education and other spheres of life, as well as ending support for religious organizations from the state budget”.
The KPP supports the protests that are taking place throughout Poland against the reactionary changes and underlines that “this struggle has also a class dimension”. It will not be won by capitalist politicians who have proved multiple times that they combine reactionary socio-economic views with submission to the Catholic Church and the religious indoctrination.
