A protestor holds the Women's Strike symbol during demonstrations in Poland, Warsaw, Poland, November 28, 2022. © 2022 Maciej Luczniewski/NurPhoto via AP The Polish government’s persistent attacks on the rule of law are harming the rights of women and LGBT people.
A new report documents how, since coming into power in 2015, Poland’s Law and Justice party has deliberately undermined the independence of the judiciary and media freedom and sought to silence independent civil society groups, activists, and those who protest against its policies.
Here are some examples:
Even though Poland’s law on abortion was already among Europe’s most restrictive, the government used a politically compromised court in October 2020 to effectively ban access to legal abortions, forcing many women and girls to go abroad to terminate pregnancies.
At least five women are known to have died after doctors did not terminate their pregnancies despite complications that put their health and lives at risk.
Meanwhile, hostile attitudes toward LGBT people led to regions and municipalities in Poland declaring themselves “LGBT Ideology Free” or joining a government-supported Family Charter that calls for the exclusion of LGBT people from Polish society.
In an EU member state in 2022, women shouldn’t have to face being denied abortion, LGBT people shouldn’t face hostility for who they are, and neither should risk punishment when they stand up for their rights. | 
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