Polish Prochoice Activists Protest Abortion Ban in Defiance of Coronavirus Lockdown

AS POLAND’S PARLIAMENT pursued a controversial proposal to tighten what are already among the strictest abortion laws in Europe, dozens of women in cars and on bicycles protested in central Warsaw, honking horns and displaying posters against the law. Although public gatherings are banned, videos show people in the streets of Warsaw and Poznan following recom- mended social distancing and holding placards.

Activists feared that conservative politicians could take advantage of the coronavirus lockdown to prevent opponents from organizing large street protests as they did in 2016, when huge street protests caused the government to withdraw anti-abortion proposals.