Those who cannot remember the past ...

courtesy @ewitsoe /Erik Witsoe

 "Beep-beep-beep", two year old Tomek kept saying imitating the rythmical shouting of the protesters right below his windows in Poznan. His father was relieved that the actual words "Fuck PiS*" only translated to the beep-sound in his son's mind.

The protests started last week as the Constitutional Court outruled the possibility of legal abortion of severely damaged foetuses (of which there were 1116 in 2019, less than 0,003% of all live born babies), the demonstration has gained momentum, and the numbers of participants are soaring. What started off last Thursday as spontaneous demonstrations at Poland's de facto leader Jarosław Kaczyński's house, turned into happenings at the Sunday masses, blocking trafic in the rush hour since Monday, and Women's strike on Wednesday. Every evening protesters have gathered in the squares, in front of PiS' head quaters, in front of Ordo Iuris, the organisation believed (and with quite some substance) to have a role in the shadows of governing.

In the political debate (quite the eufemism) members of PiS and the opposition shout incessantly at each other, without paying attention to moderators. The air is toxic and vile for anyone who thought they'd breath the air of democratic debate.

Not only Tomek, the toddler, imitates what he hears. So does Kaczyński, comparing the furious women of the opposition to ruska agentura -  Russian spies, defectors - in a speach that has quickly become a meme comparing him to a toddler in diapers or general Jaruzelski - the man imposing Marshall Law on Poland in the 1980'ies. Kaczyński's rhetoric has a chilling resemblance to the authoritarian propaganda and smearing of political opponents of the former Polish People's Republic. Ironically, Kaczyński was among the people to get Solidarity up and running to finally overthrow the communist regime back in the days.

A sign of an authoritarian regime is the lack of self-irony, and - as has been quoted on numerous occasions including the present situation - those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. 

One may only hope the government reconsiders soon, and start a dialogue with their protesters. This is becoming much more than a question about 179 legal abortions. It has become a question of the survival of Kaczyński's legacy and he's about to repeat history.

*PiS - Prawo i Sprawiedliwość - Law and Justice, the ruling, conservative party.

When a woman's body belongs to the church and the state.

courtesy @plakaty_szymon_szymankiewicz

 "Poland is now in the black zone", one Twitter user pointed out, stretching the fact that the country has been a red Covid19-zone for a week. Today, however, the change of colour zone has nothing to do with the pandemia.

Today the Constitutional Court of Poland ruled that Polish women's right to get an abortion under secure conditions in case the foetus is severely ill is unconstitutional. As a result 98% of the remaining legal abortions is now no longer legal. As of today only pregnancies due to rape or incest or if endangering the life of the mother are legal.

I'm no expert on the political shenanigans leading to this disastrous decision, but I do know a bit about the history of legal abortion, so buckle up for a history lesson:

Up till 1973, legal abortions were only to wish for in Denmark. Before that, unfortunate women might profit from Poland's liberal regulations on abortion, by simply 'going on holiday to the East Block'. If nothing else, that was considered an advantage of the communist regime. I recall photos from the debate in the Danish parliament. Members of the conservative part of the Lutheran Clergy attended the vote holding up their cross, eyes closes, faces torn in agony. The relief when the motion was passed was palpable around the coffee tables of womanhood. This sort of empowerment was vital for women's health, life possibilities, economy, you name it ...

When the wall came down and Poland elected the first independent government in 1989, one of the first subjects on the political agenda was the legislation about free access to legal abortions. The debate revealed a Catholic Clergy with a clear sense of how to control the newly elected anti-communist members of parliament: threatening to excommunicate anyone voting in favour of a liberal legislation, the table was set for ... well, the return of coat hangers.

The anti-abortion movement has gained even more weight over the last 5 to 10 years, narrowing down possibilities for women to make their own health and life choices to near nothing.

In the street where I live, one of the few hospitals providing legal intervention was the scene of both a pro-life and a pro-choice demonstration last week. The place swarmed with police. Around one corner the pro-choice group was small and furiously calm. Around the other the priest led the prayer (transmitted on a portable loudspeaker), a semi-circle of kneeling people around him. A huge banner with the photo of an aborted foetus (never mind these scary photos are not a reasonable reflection of the reality). I wondered how the hospitalized women - regardless of their condition - might experience this manifestation in the midst of what I imagine must be a difficult time for them. 

And to tie the knot: one of the pro-life activists carried a sign saying "LGBT-people: let life get a chance". The hipocricy and blatant ignorance is - I'm sorry to report - characteristic for vast parts of the political discourse.

Need I mention, I ended this black day for my fellow females donating to a counceling organisation?