The proposal to ban abortion sparkled one of the largest protests in Poland's post-communist history. In Warsaw, women made a human chain around the Palace of Culture, a landmark monument. (Photo: Katarzyna Nurowska)

Polish abortion row puts women's rights on EU agenda

Rule of Law

by Aleksandra Eriksson, Brussels,

A Polish proposal to jail women who have an abortion would bring the country back to medieval times, MEPs said on Wednesday (5 October) during a debate on Polish women's rights.

The bill, which is currently examined by the Polish parliament, was “pro-death”, said Italian MEP Gianni Pittella, head of the Social Democratic group.

“Women’s bodies were always a battleground… used for assaults on liberal democracy...