Ban abortion without exceptions, demands pro-life group in Poland

A pro-life group is seeking to remove the exceptions in the abortion ban in Poland by pushing for a citizens' bill.

The Fundacja Pro (Pro Foundation) is collecting 100,000 signatures to support the bill, which was drafted in response to a highly publicized incident about a mishandled abortion that happened last month.

A woman reportedly went to Holy Family Hospital in Warsaw to have her 24-week-old baby aborted. The baby had been diagnosed with Down Syndrome. However, after two failed attempts to abort the child, it was delivered alive and was left unattended to die.

The incident has caused an outcry from church leaders and residents in Poland, where 90 percent of the population are Roman Catholic.

Abortion is banned in Poland, but it is allowed under certain conditions: if the woman was impregnated through rape or incest; if the mother's health is at risk; and if the fetus 25 weeks or less is diagnosed with handicap. Every year, 200 abortions that fall under these categories are carried out in Poland.

Earlier this month, the Catholic bishops made a public statement regarding their stand on abortion.

"Catholics' position on this is clear, and unchangeable: one needs to protect every person's life from conception to natural death. We ask the lawmakers and the government to initiate the legislation."

Legal group Ordo luris, which drafted the citizens' bill, said that the bill will give children equal rights and protection, whether before or after birth.

"It removes the three existing circumstances under which an abortion is currently permitted. The initiative requires the state to support families raising handicapped children or children conceived in in circumstances related to the commission of an offense," the legal group said.

In the new bill, human beings will be protected by the law upon the time of conception, which starts when the sperm cell fertilizes the egg cell.

"Public administration and local self-government bodies, within the limits of their respective competences, as specified in particular regulations, shall be obliged to provide material assistance and care to families raising children who are seriously handicapped or who suffer from a life-threatening illness," the bill states.