ANI JEDNEJ WIĘCEJ!
An essay about women’s reproductive rights in Poland.
ABORTION RIGHTS IN POLAND
In an ideal world, women would have rights to their bodies and actions, not be discriminated against by the people who they work for or people who run the countries they live in, and have the ability to freely walk, as women. That, however, is not the case and is exemplified in countries that have strict religious affiliations, Poland being one of them. A country which was founded and based on Catholicism, running the government strictly with rules related to the Bible, Church and God, in which women do not have much of a standing ground or choice in what they are and are not allowed to do. Women in the United States face similar challenges with the government and laws that incorporate religion into their daily lives, especially with the more recent announcement of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Although the U.S. claims to be a free country, there are religious aspects and affiliations that are sorted into the laws and amendments the country is based around. Women all around have very little access to reproductive rights, with religion playing a role in both countries structurally. In both countries, there have been protests against patriarchal societies, who are limiting women’s freedoms and women are fighting back to gain these rights they deserve.
Women and those in support in Poland realized that in order to change the world they live in they must take a stand, and they realized they needed to take matters into their own hands. Women in Poland have faced highly restrictive laws such as complete abortion bans, limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and care, unsupportive services and lack of support in situations involving violence and lastly, the perpetuation of traditional and prescribed gender roles that have been established and deeply rooted within families. Fighting for women’s rights and realizing that women deserve better will help to expand the transcultural history of gender and sexuality in Poland, and prove to be an example to others that even the smallest of actions, make a difference.
For years the government in Poland has been censuring any talk, ideas or concepts in regards to gender and sexuality. Religious figures in Poland demonize the people who try to be outspoken and demonize the ideas of homosexuality and feminism due to the fact that they believe it is an attack on traditional ideas that follow marriage, societal norms and families. Gender norms in Poland are focused around the idea that women are to be considered “angels of the house,” a term coined in the fifties, assuming that women must maintain their households, clean and take care of the children, their husbands and themselves. Women are to upkeep a pristine, clean and innocent image of themselves. Poland maintains strict roles and rules that are to upkeep with traditional patriarchal models.
There was a political group called PiS that was formed in the year of 2015 to counter any movements against the government’s decisions and to maintain a low volume on people who voiced ideas about women’s rights movements. PiS stands for Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, which translates to ‘Right and Fairness’, attempting to keep the mold of patriarchal views in check, and fighting against feminists. Although women are forced to fit this perfect mold and follow a perfect lifestyle, there were movements that started around 2016, allowing women to freely express themselves and voice their opinions, fighting against PiS and all of the restrictive laws the people wanted to enforce. Most of the time, women’s rights movements like this did not have the ability to grow, or did not have a strong base due to the fear of backlash, such as provided by PiS. One in particular changed the country and the women in it.
Thousands of women joined the Black Protest (#CzarnyProtest) which began October Sixth of 2016. This protest was taking place in one of the most populated cities, the capital, Warsaw, in regards to a restrictive abortion law, banning all abortions and would criminalize anyone who took part in one which infuriated citizens regardless of how religious they were. As stated by BBC.Com, “A bill in parliament seeks to ban abortions...The "Black Friday'' protests against the bill are being held in the capital Warsaw...” This protest was taking place in regards to a restrictive abortion law, banning all abortions.In Poland there has been talk of controversy against the emergency contraceptive pill, with the president making it prescription only, and banning abortion fully, which was what led the protest. Women deemed this decision unfair, causing amounts of stress, a loss of a woman's right to her body, as well as, furthering complications of illegal and unsafe abortions. Poland prior to this movement, had laws limiting access to abortions, making the expection for when one of the three occurs: the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, the woman’s life is deemed in danger, or the fetus is considered to be “seriously malfunction”. This new law that was being set in place would further damage women’s rights to abortion and those involved with it. The country was pursuing their religious affiliation, rather than looking out for the women and what they could do with their bodies. As stated in TheGuardian.Com, “...the new law would criminalize all terminations, with women punishable with up to five years in prison. Doctors found to have assisted with a termination would also be liable for prosecution and a prison term.” Anyone associated with or performing an abortion would be subjected to a criminal offense and punished, for the action to a women’s body that she should have the right to.
This march was a rallying cry for women, emphasizing the need and right for reproductive freedom, which had the opportunity to be heard and broadcasted live. Women took the streets of Warsaw, covered in all black clothing, accessories, most commonly using an umbrella or waving a black flag, with signs and posters to get their point across to the officials of their Catholic nation. Elżbieta Korolczuk states in her article, “Explaining “black protests” against abortion ban in Poland: the power of connective action” that, “The closer I got to my destination, the thicker the crowd grew, and long before I reached the square, all I saw around were women clad in black, their umbrellas the only splash of color on the streets, many of them carrying hand-made banners bearing phrases such as “My body, my choice!”, “I am, I think, I decide!”, “The government is not a pregnancy – it can be easily removed”, or “Keep your rosaries out of my ovaries!”. These women fearlessly boycotted their jobs and classes nationwide against the law and joined forces together for what they believed in. TheGuardian.Com quotes Magda Staroszczyk, a woman who was one of the coordinators of the protest, with her friends at a local coffee shop, “A lot of women and girls in this country have felt that they don’t have any power, that they are not equal, that they don’t have the right to an opinion,”... “This is a chance for us to be seen, and to be heard,” (Korolczuk 2). Women were finally getting the ability to voice their opinions and struggles not only to the government, but to the world. After the Protest occurred, PiS and the leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, said that he would come to a compromise, allowing women the rights to an abortion if it was a result of rape or incest. Although this was not their end goal, women had the power to be open, heard, and gained a bit more than they were previously provided.
American women faced a similar exploitation with the rise of President Trump taking on his position in early 2016 with the Women’s March on Washington. The elections were foreseen to bring around rhetoric that marginalized and demonized members of society who did not fit the perfect ‘american mold’. People who were part of the LGBTQIA community, people of color, those who have disabilities, women, are all examples of people in communities who could possibly be threatened by someone who is powerful and against activism. Women began a March on Washington, to resist not just Trump, but his foreseeable hateful actions and political dialogue that was showcased during his campaign, as most are familiar with his saying, “Grab them by the pussy”. Women led this march, with several important feminists, whose voices have been heard for decades. In Sister Namibia mentions in “The Women’s March on Washington'' that, “...political activists and famous speakers gave rousing speeches, including Angela Davis, feminist and civil rights activist, Maryum Ali, the daughter of the late famous boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, and Alicia Keys, noted philanthropist and singer” (Namibia 1). This had been the largest US protest since the 60’s and 70’s against the Vietnam War. Around 500,000 people showed up to march and let their voices be heard. Women and girls of all ages came around to show their support wearing hats and carrying posters. This was not just a one time event, it was only the beginning to protest against resisting oppressive policies and politicians who would implement discriminatory laws that lack rights to women’s bodies.
The protest was not only for women’s rights, but the rights of those who are not represented properly in society. One of the prominent leaders of the march had been Cecile Richards, who is the standing President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, also known as PPPFA. Elizabeth Ann DePriest states in her dissertation, “Resisting Reproductive Regulation in Early Twentieth Century American Women’s Fiction”, “When Cecile Richards took the stage at the Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2017, it was not surprising that she ended her speech by insisting that women have a right to “access to safe and legal abortion.” ...Richards is the most prominent and recognizable face of the American pro-choice movement, which campaigns to ensure women’s access to legal abortion. But PPFA also offers a wide variety of other health services, and before Richards mentioned abortion, she urged the crowd to defend “the right of working women to earn a living wage, for the right of immigrant families to live without fear, [and] for the right of mothers everywhere to raise families [] in safe communities with clean air and clean drinking water, including in Flint, Michigan.” The protest was bringing attention to all those who were in need of proper supplies and recognition. Women should have access to abortions, proper reproductive and sex education. It is important to make women aware of what they are experiencing, how they can get help and where to look for help, not be shunned for their experiences.
America and Poland alike, are run partially, if not fully by religious beliefs. Religion is constantly used to systematically oppress people, whether it be due to holidays, laws regarding specifical cultural and religious events to the right of a woman's body, and gender, as well as, sexuality issues that exist in society. This brings in the idea of a transcultural history of sex and gender, where women are oppressed, due to the fact that they merely are women. Religion tends to be a mechanism of institutional oppression and is exerted on the country’s citizens. It is meant to bring people together, but rather brings people down through the laws and intense beliefs that people in power follow. However, this can be fought against as stated in Sexuality in the Contemporary World, by Richard Parker, Jonathan Garcia, Robert M. Buffington, “These movements have evolved in large measure along the lines suggested by Castells, as legitimizing identities become resistance identities aimed at fighting back against the oppression of dominant social norms, which in turn lead to the development of project identities devoted to large-scale social change and an end to discrimination,” (227). Women are taking a stand and fighting for what they believe in. It is important to realize that religion is not all that should be incorporated into political ideologies and citizens should not be afraid of systematic oppression imposed on them through political figures.
Both of the societies after these protests, and many others helped to reawaken the civility and made people come to the realization that this is not communist era Poland anymore, and America is no longer run through biblical beliefs. Mass demonstrations helped to raise awareness to the voices that had been diminished to whispers in the past on women’s rights. There are many generational gaps in families, showing that traditional patriarchal views and demoralizing ideas of women still exist, however, younger women are standing up for their beliefs, challenging and opposing the government on laws they do not believe would help women, but rather would harm them. These protests helped to lead others, which are initiatives to stand up against the gender boundary and social norms the country has been built on.
There has been an intense regression on abortion rights in Poland, on January 27th 2021, Poland had banned access to abortion in almost all circumstances, wreaking havoc on the lives of women and those in need of any abortion care services. With this ruling set in place, many have seen tragic consequences as women seeking access to abortion are putting themselves through extremities in order to receive the care they are looking for.
Groups of women have turned to the European Court of Human Rights, as an effort to bring attention to this issue and find justice for the rights they deserve to their own bodies. Thus, challenging Poland’s abortion law, which finds itself to be highly restrictive. Although two-thirds of Polish people are supporting the right to abortion, the laws in place forbid the procedure, only in the case that pregnancy threatens the pregnant person’s life or health, or is the result of rape or incest. Polish women are now given fewer rights than when Poland had joined the EU in 2004.
The grave of Izabela Sajbor, the first woman to be considered a victim by the abortion ban, has an epitaph reading, “Not one more,” or “Ani jednej więcej.” This has become a motto for large anti-government protests held in memory, with multiple uprisings occurring in her name as well.
Many women who are working against the government’s beliefs and their ideologies are being criminalized, simply for defending themselves and their own rights as women. Marta Lemapart, being a prominent women’s rights activist, had about, if not more, 10 lawsuits and charges filed against her due to the nature of her work. Throughout the course of March, Justyna Wydzrynska, an activist with Abortion Without Borders and Abortion Dream Team, had been charged with giving someone aid in having an abortion, and illegally marketing medication helping a domestic violence survivor access pills for her own abortion. Her case marks one of the first in Europe where a women’s rights defender is being prosecuted for doing good. And in November, MP Joanna Scheruing-Wielgus had her immunity stripped, so she could properly be charged with going against religious beliefs, due to her holding a banner in church supporting abortion rights. The Catholic church is attacking people for their beliefs, attacking the rights of women, attacking sex education, attacking what they call “LGBT ideology” and abortion rights.
It’s time to bring awareness to this, to bring attention to the wrongdoings of the Church and the unfortunate mess they are creating, taking away the freedom in the lives of people. Below is a list of resources if you are interested in helping women in Poland get the care they need, along with resources on how to aid women in getting their rights.
