Observations from the Front Line of Poland’s Abortion Battle

Amid loud and vocal opinions against Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, there are a number of voices affirming the life of the unborn children.

Military police and riot police stand guard in front of Catholic believers praying on the stairs of Warsaw’s Holy Cross Church as protesters demonstrate on Oct. 30 against a pro-life court decision.
Military police and riot police stand guard in front of Catholic believers praying on the stairs of Warsaw’s Holy Cross Church as protesters demonstrate on Oct. 30 against a pro-life court decision. (photo: WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

In the wake of the Oct. 22 decision of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal striking down provisions in the country’s abortion law that allowed for eugenic abortion of unborn children suspected of “a great probability” of having a genetic defect or disease, Poland has been beset by an almost hysterical series of demonstrations — which have included carrying these protests into churches — by those claiming the decision violates “women’s rights.”

Joy and pain. These are the keywords repeated by many Polish Catholics witnessing the riots and social unrest after Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled out that abortion for eugenic reasons is unconstitutional.

Joy, since the Polish state as a legal institution now protects the rights of the weakest members of society — unborn children who are judged to carry genetic disorders.

Pain, since the vision of Catholic Poland seems to be a myth, contrasting with the streets crowded by people, mainly young, who, often aggressively, express their discontent. The society, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, is immersed in the increasing social, political and cultural conflicts. 

The scale of this conflict is revealed by the size of demonstrations on the streets of the Polish cities and towns — both big and small — as well as comments in mass media, social media and internet forums. Certain voices are especially painful: the declarations of apostasy, the accusations that those who support the decision of the Tribunal “have blood on their hands” and “are depriving women of their fundamental human rights,” and the predictions of the end of the Church’s influence on public worldviews.

One well-known Polish writer has issued a call to “stop feeding the monster,” obviously with the Catholic Church in Poland in mind — not unlike Voltaire’s “crush the loathsome thing.” Another one holds that the decision of the Tribunal is “a manifestation of a deep hate towards others.” These samples are evidence of how a large part of society does not understand Catholic teaching. Sociologists, theologians and psychologists make various attempts to explain this outrage and aggression against the Church. Some call it generational revolt. Some blame it on the role of the internet and social media. Others identify it as the politicization of the Church and an alliance of throne and altar in Poland and still others as indications of the Church’s waning influence. 

Amid loud and vocal opinions against the Tribunal, government and Church, there are a number of voices affirming the life of the unborn children. More than 100 Polish scholars, college professors, technical experts and doctors signed an open letter Oct. 15 in defense of life and calling on the Constitutional Tribunal to invalidate the eugenic abortion rules. What is even more striking is the number of those for whom the issue is obvious: the Church must defend unborn life, and every step forward is welcome. Anna Korzekwa-Kaliszuk, involved in the pro-life movement, said in a Facebook comment:

We need to protect all, also very sick children, not merely those who can live many years. The choice in the abortion means allowing to kill, and that’s why there are such values as a human life that must be protected by law at the cost of choice. If the choice were the supreme value, the penal code would be unnecessary.

These words were liked and spread by thousands of followers. Many shared and liked the words of Pope Francis that God would “arouse in everyone’s hearts respect for the life of our brothers and sisters, especially of the most fragile and defenseless, and would give strength to those who welcome and take care of them, even when it requires a heroic love.”

There are political discussions on the highest level about the next steps. On Oct. 29, media reported a proposal from one member of the governing coalition to introduce a legal distinction between unborn children carrying fatal conditions and those diagnosed with Down syndrome. Yet, regardless of the potential political moves, one is of crucial importance: the Catholic Church is invariably the advocate for the protection of unborn life, even though the social costs are high and it runs counter to widespread relativism that is the starting point and dominant worldview of many people. Now is the time to work, with patience and empathy, to explain and convince people that the lives of our “most fragile brothers and sisters” is and ought to be the highest value and cornerstone of the Christian social order.