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?

About Health and Age ...

"Yoga!!! That's only for the mind", the kind doctor said tapping his temple with a pointy finger.

I was at the mandatory health check proceeding the signing of my contract. In Poland, health insurance is primarily associated with your place of work, so before signing a contract, the employer needs a general health assessment of the future employee. We had gone over my medical story, checked lungs, heart, and pulse (yes, I DO have one!). Everything was in brilliant order.

Back in Denmark, yoga would be considered not only a 'mind thing', but certainly also a way to strengthen your body. I've only tried it out a few times - but chose the more loner-friendly activity of individual fitness & weight lifting as my reluctant excercise. The Polish doctor was relieved to hear that I ride my bike,  climb the stairs to the 4th floor, and abstain from smoking. The solid pillars of a decent and healthy life, it seemed. My regular GP would consider this level of activity lazy, a health liability, and far too little to expect for an otherwise healthy person my age.

Not only am I fit as a fiddle, I'm also the perfect age ... well, at least if you contemplate the alternative.

Nevertheless, in Poland the perception of age seems different from what I'm used to. My young landlady was perhaps under the influence of the information that I have grandchildren, when she - concerned about my future well-being - wanted to know if I were aware of the lack of lift in the building. When I confirmed, she added "but it may be hard ... carrying groceries and all." I assured her, she needn't worry. The only day the stairs were too high and too many was the day I moved in. But otherwise? No problem.

All my life I've seen my peers go out of their way to not conform with the expectations of a 40, 50, 60, or 70 year old. They've managed to keep their generation en vogue no matter how old they were. Climbing mountains at 60, taking a younger lover, having children at 40. Or as I - move abroad to outlive a vision of a different work life - despite af being a granny. 

No one puts this generation in a corner.