Thousands of people protested outside the national parliament in Warsaw against a controversial law that would entail a complete ban on abortion in Poland. With this new law, women who have terminated the pregnancy would be liable and could be sent to jail up to five years for causing the death of a conceived child. Additionally, doctors could be charged for carrying out abortions. Legislators are expected to start debating tougher rules on Wednesday, with the backing of the Catholic Church and the Law and Justice (PiS) governing party. To support this, a petition has been signed more than 450,000 times.

During the protests, many women could be heard shouting "My body, my affair!" according to Radio Poland. The demonstrators in Warsaw wore black and some also carried placards to protest against the planned abortion ban. The new law is seen by protestors as a death of women's rights, as it would make abortion illegal even for victims of rape or if the woman's life is at risk. Another petition against this law, which states that women should be allowed to have an abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, has been signed over 215,000 times until now.

Furthermore, more demonstrations are also planned on Monday, October 3 in 60 cities across the country. Hereby, also many polish companies want to support the protests by not opening their doors for business.

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