POLAND
The President of the Chamber of the Polish Parliament Marek Jurek is in favour of the continuation of the debate aimed at introducing into the Polish Constitution the principle of the defence of life from the moment of conception to natural death. This principle, he said, is in conformity with the teaching of Evangelium vitae and forms part of the programme of the Law and Justice party, to which he belongs together with Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The motion drafted by some MPs of the party of the ruling coalition, the League of Polish Families, was supported by many bishops and, more recently, also by the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Jozef Michalik (cf. SIR EUROPE of 8 November 2006). The Polish premier, concerned by a possible clash with supporters of the right to unconditional abortion, who demonstrated in Warsaw last Saturday, has expressed some reservations about the motion. He said, however, he would welcome the constitutional amendments, if they would serve to reinforce, and not subvert, the existing legislation. The current law, called “a realistic compromise” by the prime minister, makes it possible to interrupt pregnancy only in some extreme cases (danger of dying in childbirth, grave malformation of the foetus, pregnancy as a result of rape). According to the official statistics, 120 abortions were carried out in Poland last year.
