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  • This is the largest protest in Poland

  • since the fall of communism more than 30 years ago.

  • Hundreds of thousands are protesting, in cities across the country,

  • because the party in power here is on the verge of eliminating a woman's right to an abortion.

  • At the heart of these protests are young women:

  • those who are the most threatened by the new ruling.

  • But there are many, many others too.

  • And that's because these protesters aren't just concerned

  • about the future of abortion rights in Poland.

  • They're worried about the future of the country itself.

  • In the late 1980s, Poland got rid of its decades-long communist regime.

  • Soon, it became a thriving democracy, with a strong catholic identity.

  • It also passed one of the strictest laws on abortion in all of Europe.

  • Under the law, women were only allowed to have an abortion under three circumstances:

  • if the pregnancy was a threat to the health of the mother,

  • if it was the result of incest or rape,

  • or if the fetus had severe and irreversible abnormalities.

  • The law has remained this way for nearly 30 years.

  • And today, it makes Poland an outlier in Europe,

  • where virtually every other country allows abortions under a broad range of circumstances.

  • But some in Poland thought those strict laws still weren't enough.

  • In 2015, Poland elected the right-wing party Law and Justice into power.

  • Shortly after, the party leader said:

  • "Very close to the totalitarian way of thinking,

  • as far as women's health, women's rights, and women's personhood is concerned."

  • In 2016, the party backed legislation to eliminate all three legal paths to abortion.

  • The legislation proposed imprisoning women seeking abortions,

  • and doctors who performed them, for up to five years.

  • They would even investigate miscarriages.

  • "This is something that is incredible, you know?

  • It really turns us back to the Middle Ages.

  • The limitation of human rights went far too far."

  • Thousands of women took to the streets,

  • pushing back against the law, in what were called the Black Protests.

  • In the face of this opposition, the legislation was withdrawn.

  • Poland would still have one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe,

  • but not a total ban.

  • But instead of giving up on the abortion ban,

  • Law & Justice started dismantling the country's ability to oppose one.

  • In Poland's democracy, some legislation passed by Parliament

  • is sent to the Constitutional Tribunal,

  • to ensure it's consistent with the country's constitution.

  • This court has 15 judges, and it serves as the main check on the ruling party.

  • It's supposed to function as an independent branch of the government.

  • But upon taking power, Law & Justice started to erode that independence.

  • They refused to swear in several judges

  • who had been appointed by the previous government,

  • and replaced them with judges who would be loyal to them,

  • including the Tribunal president,

  • who has the ability to determine which judges hear what cases.

  • And of the judges they have appointed legally, many are actually fellow politicians,

  • further compromising the independence of the court.

  • This has created a tribunal in which 14 of 15 judges are aligned with the ruling party.

  • And the legitimacy of several of them is widely disputed,

  • both in Poland and internationally.

  • This version of the court has never decided a case against the ruling party.

  • "The fact that this Constitutional Tribunal is acting on the behalf of the political party

  • is just the opposite of what the Constitutional Tribunal should do."

  • It was under these circumstances that Law & Justice sought a new ruling

  • from the Constitutional Tribunal on the country's abortion laws,

  • that would eliminate one of the three bases for legal abortion:

  • Severe fetal abnormalities.

  • And while it might seem like that would only prevent some abortions,

  • fetal abnormalities are the reason for 98% of abortions in Poland.

  • In other words, without technically banning abortions,

  • the change would make them virtually impossible.

  • Nearly 80% of Poles disagreed with this change.

  • But on October 22nd, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled in its favor:

  • That the overwhelming majority of abortions in Poland were unconstitutional.

  • The ruling brought Poles back into the streets,

  • and in much bigger numbers than in 2016.

  • "These protests are really different from what we've seen for the last four years,

  • because there are thousands and thousands of young people attending these protests,

  • organizing these protests,

  • and also, these are the most grassroots, independent protests that we've ever had."

  • In the face of the protests, the government has delayed taking the steps

  • that would make the ruling official.

  • As of this video, it's unclear when, or if, they will.

  • But these protests are as much about how this ruling came together,

  • as they are about the ruling itself.

  • MARTA LEMPART: "It started with abortion. Now we fight for freedom, for everything."

  • For the rule of law."

  • Outside of Poland, the world has noticed.

  • International organizations have stopped considering it a full democracy.

  • And the changes to its legal system have put Poland's European Union membership at risk.

  • 30 years ago, Poland enthusiastically embraced democracy.

  • Today, its ruling party is trying to rig the country's democratic institutions in its favor.

  • And it's the people who are fighting to protect them.

  • "Despite the fact that this government is responsible for destroying

  • all the democratic tools that we have in our Constitution,

  • you still have the nation, the citizens in this country,

  • who carry on the democratic values."

This is the largest protest in Poland

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