Poland Lawmakers Want Rape, Incest Out of Nation’s Abortion Ban 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 25, 2006
Warsaw, Poland (LifeNews.com) — Lawmakers in the Polish parliament want to remove the rape and incest exceptions from the nation’s abortion ban. They say there is no reason that the babies conceived as a result of sexual abuse deserve to die because of the actions of a rapist.
The conservative LPF party, a junior member of the ruling coalition of parties in the eastern European nation has introduced the proposal tough tighten Poland’s pro-life laws. It would also include protections for disabled babies targeted by abortion.
The party also wants a constitutional amendment added to the nation’s constitution guaranteeing that all people have the right to life from the moment of conception.
Professor Maciej Giertych, a MEP from the League of Polish Families, explains the reasons for the action in an interview with Polskie Radio.
"We would like to see the restrictions cover life from conception, throughout pregnancy to birth," he said.
"There is no need to penalize the conceived children for the sins of the parents," Giertych added. "There is also an exception which says that if the child is disabled, it should be killed. we want to protect the disabled from conception and not only from birth."
But Wanda Nowicka, from the pro-abortion Federation For Women and Family Planning, is worried about the proposal.
"We are strongly against the proposal to introduce to the Polish Constitution the protection of unborn life from the moment of conception. Such provision, if accepted by Parliament, will mean in practice a full ban on abortion," she told the Polish radio station.
The success of the proposal rests on LPF’s ability to work with lawmakers of other political parties to gain the support needed to move it through the legislative process. A change to the constitution would require a two-thirds majority vote in parliament, a tough hurdle.
The European Union and the United Nations have put pressure on Poland to change its pro-life laws and abortion advocates previously anchored an abortion boat outside the country to do abortions just outside Polish waters.
