WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR MP
AND HELP THE STRUGGLE FOR ABORTION RIGHTS IN POLAND

Background

On 22nd of October, the politicised Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw banned abortion in case of incurable defects of the foetus, severely tightening the abortion law, already the strictest among large European states. The Tribunal's decision has sparked protests of unprecedented scale which despite their peaceful nature are facing both the military and riot police in full strength. There have been countless reports of the abuse of power by the latter, including unleashing aggressive undercover officers into the crowd and using pepper spray and tear gas on the protesters, including MPs and the press, all clearly showing their passes and IDs.

In 2016, when the same legislation was presented to the Polish parliament, the pushback caused by the massive demonstrations across the country was enough to stop it passing. Four years later however, after repeated action by the ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) to dismantle and politicise democratic institutions, a new opportunity to pass the law appeared – in the view of many Poles to distract the public from the government's inability to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Passed by politically appointed judges and without a parliamentary vote, it became an element of the Polish Constitution, which the hundreds of thousands of the country's citizens who have been protesting every day amidst the raging pandemic are not willing to accept.


The Letters

You can actively support the fight for abortion rights by writing to your MP about the issue. The need for international support in Poland hasn't been greater since 1980s, when the country was fighting for its democratic independence.

Depending on whether you're a British citizen/non-Polish resident of the UK or a Polish national living in the UK, you can use one of the templates below to write your letter, or go here (nataliakasprzycka.com/strajk-kobiet) to find more information.


For British/non-Polish nationals TEMPLATE

For Polish residents in the UK TEMPLATE


*Repeated content can be recognised as phishing. Please be creative if you can, add something personal or send the letter as an attachment rather then as contents of an email. Always include your address, otherwise the letter will be invalid.

Links:

Find Your MP
Letter to MP - for British citizens
Letter to MP - for Polish residents in the UK–––––––––––––––––
Archive of Pubic Protests (Archwium Protestów Publicznych - APP)
Updated  map of protests (International) –––––––––––––––––
Abortion Rights in Europe
United Nations Human Rights Experts’ statement

International media coverage:

Guardian – 'A backlash against a patriarchal culture': How Polish protests go beyond abortion rights

BBC News – Poland abortion ruling: Protests continue in Poland

Guardian Podcast – Three women on their fight for abortion rights in Poland

The New Yorker – The Abortion Protests in Poland Are Starting to Feel Like a Revolution

UN News – Poland ‘slammed the door shut’ on legal and safe abortions: Human rights experts

Aljazeera –Poland’s abortion protests: A fight for democracy?

Project Syndicate – Will Women Defeat Poland’s Illiberal Regime?

Jacobin – This Is About More Than Abortion Rights in Poland