Poland's constitutional court has banned abortions owing to fetal defects.
The ruling has moved the country closer toward an all-out ban on terminations - sparking a nationwide outcry from women's and human rights groups.
The country's highest court deemed abortions owing to fetal defects as "unconstitutional." Under its ruling, only abortions done in cases of rape, incest or when a mother's life is in danger are permitted.
Women's rights groups protested the decision Thursday, claiming that 98% of abortions in the country are done because unborn children were found to have fetal defects. If pregnancies were allowed to continue despite the discovered defects, women would be forced to care for children suffering from different disabilities. In some cases, children with fetal defects often do not survive childbirth, which can result in psychological and emotional damage to affected women.
The ruling Thursday marks the first change to the country's abortion laws since 1993. The decision was made after years of deliberations and debate by local lawmakers and officials. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights has publicly condemned the decision, stating that Thursday was a "sad day" for women across the globe.
"Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates Human Rights. Today's ruling of the constitutional Court means underground/abroad abortions for those who can afford and even greater ordeal for all others," the council's head, Dunja Mijatovic, mentioned in a statement.
Poland's leading party, Law and Justice, has fought for years to tighten the country's abortion laws, which is the heart of its conservative agenda. The party previously attempted to pass a bill to ban abortions due to fetal defects earlier in the year. The move resulted in massive protests throughout the country in April, with groups blocking streets and roads. Similar protests were also held in 2016 and in subsequent years as the mostly conservative government moves to restrict abortions legislatively.
