Image by Michał Józefaciuk
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda signed into law on Friday a bill that restricts the use of the ‘morning after’ abortion pill in a further tightening of social mores by the Law and Justice Party, the ruling party in the Eastern European country.
The government has faced criticism on a number of fronts as they enact an agenda that is counter to the secular liberalism of Western Europe. Abortion is one issue that has been restricted and caused numerous protests by feminists in Poland.
The law would require a prescription where it used to be available to girls 15 and older over-the-counter.
The parliament wound up rejecting another controversial bill that would have allowed abortions only if the woman’s life was at risk and increased the maximum jail term for practitioners from two years to five, reported AFP.
There are around 2,000 abortions performed legally in Poland but estimates of another 100,000 plus done illegally or abroad.
