Feminists Strike Because Pro-Life Law Protects Babies With Down Syndrome From Abortion

International   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Dec 14, 2020   |   7:18PM   |   Warsaw, Poland

Pro-abortion feminists across the world have gathered recently to protest a Polish high court ruling banning eugenic abortions that discriminate against unborn babies with disabilities.

Breitbart reports the latest protest, organized by the International Women’s Strike movement, took place Sunday in Warsaw, Poland. Deutsche Welle estimated that the crowd included “hundreds” of abortion activists, while another news outlet described “thousands” in attendance.

They gathered to protest an October decision by Poland’s constitutional court that protects unborn babies with disabilities from discrimination. If enforced, the ruling could save thousands of babies’ lives. Polish health officials reported 1,100 abortions in 2019, and most were because the unborn baby was diagnosed with a disability such as Down syndrome.

Poland is one of the few European countries that protects unborn babies from abortions in almost all circumstances. On Oct. 22, its constitutional court struck down one of the few exceptions allowed in its 1993 abortion law – abortions on unborn babies with disabilities. The justices ruled that the exception violates the constitution because it discriminates against human beings with disabilities.

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Abortion activists responded to the ruling with massive protests and violent riots, vandalizing buildings and disrupting church services.

According to Breitbart, the protest Sunday included a march to the house of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS).

The key message was “We are going for freedom. We are going for everything!”, according to Deutsche Welle.

Here’s more from the report:

Police repeatedly called on the crowd to disperse, as anti-riot units blocked the protesters, forcing them to take another route along the Vistula River to reach Kaczynski’s home in the northern Zoliborz district.

However, Kaczynski’s apartment building was surrounded by hundreds of police officers in riot gear, preventing the protesters from getting near the property.

In recent weeks, abortion activists in other countries also have organized protests against Poland’s pro-life laws. They include protests in Amsterdam, Athens, Belgrade, Berlin, Bochum, Bristol, Budapest, Chicago, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Göteborg, Hamburg, Helsinki, Kyiv, Leeds, Leipzig, Lisbon, London, Luxembourg, Malmö, Manchester, Mexico City, Munich, Nicosia, Nottingham, Paris, Porto, Prague, Reykjavík, Sheffield, Sydney, Stockholm, Tartu, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Vienna, according to Breitbart.

Violent protests began immediately after the Polish high court announced its ruling and continued for days. Nearly 100 people were arrested during the first week of protests, according to an AP report.

Pro-abortion leaders even called for more violence until the government meets their demands. In late October, Marta Lempart with the pro-abortion group Strajk Kobiet told a local news outlet that protesters should continue to riot and vandalize, according to the Catholic News Agency.

“Of course you should do that. You should do what you feel, what you think, what is effective and what they deserve,” Lempart said when asked to condemn the violence.

Huge crowds of protesters blocked streets and violated city coronavirus restrictions in Warsaw and other cities in the fall. Many protesters carried signs that read, “This is war” and “Poland is a woman,” according to Reuters.

UCA News reports protesters also broke windows at the Archbishop of Czestochowa’s home in late October.

The BBC reported police arrested 15 pro-abortion protesters after they began throwing stones in late October in Warsaw. The report, along with others from NBC News and the AP, indicate several rioters were arrested for trying to break through a police blockade outside the home of Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is pro-life. Reports say police used pepper spray to quell the rioters.

The Daily Mail also reported about pro-abortion rioters vandalizing churches in several cities across the country. According to AFP, police detained several pro-abortion protesters for trying to force their way into a church in Warsaw.

In the city of Poznan, dozens of pro-abortion protesters did break into a church and disrupt a service, shouting, “We’ve had enough!” and “Barbarians!” as they held signs up in front of the altar, the Mail reports.