Reacting to yesterday evening’s vote in the Polish parliament’s justice and human rights committee to support a ban on abortion in cases of foetal abnormality, which would further tighten already very restrictive anti-abortion laws, Iratxe García Pérez MEP, S&D Group spokeswoman on women's rights and gender equality, said: 

 

“Yesterday’s vote in support of banning abortions of incurably sick or deformed foetuses is a new attack on women’s reproductive rights and their freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. Today, there are far more illegal than legal abortions in Poland. If this new proposal were to be passed into law, in practice it would mean almost a complete ban on abortion and even more women would be pushed into undergoing life-threatening underground abortions. 

 

“Ahead of this Friday’s protest, the Socialists and Democrats’ message to Polish women is clear: we stand side-by-side with you in solidarity against this new push by the Polish conservatives and Polish Catholic bishops to drastically restrict access to abortion. We will continue our fight for fundamental rights and call on the Polish parliament to reject all proposals, which are only detrimental to women's health and choices.”