Repressive Policies and Women’s Reproductive Choices in Poland

Abstract

This chapter reviews the history of women’s reproductive rights in Poland, starting with early 20th-century mobilizations, the de facto legalization of abortion during the communist era, and the post-1989 dramatic shift. It points to the cyclical nature of these struggles and mobilizations and also to the fact that they remain unresolved and are contested by both pro-choice and pro-life movements. The chapter examines these confrontations and shows how the alliance between state and church has produced a set of legal and moral controls over women’s bodies and shifted the power to decide away from women. It reviews restrictive legislation that has contributed to women’s and their families physical and emotional suffering and points to doctors’ complacency. It concludes that despite years of relentless pro-life pressure that has resulted in a change of public attitudes, women continue to resist, organize, and mobilize; thus, the struggle over women’s reproductive rights continues.