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AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
World News

Church-backed abortion ban in Poland sparks protests

Crowds gathering in central Warsaw on Monday held signs which read "My body, my choice" and coat hangers, to symbolise dangerous illegal terminations.

Foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski criticised their actions, saying: "We expect serious debate on questions of life, death and birth. We do not expect happenings, dressing in costumes and creating artificial problems."

Under abortion laws introduced in 1993, terminations in the predominantly Catholic nation may only be practised where a woman's life is in danger, cases of rape, or where a foetus has suffered irreparable damage.

AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski

Thousands of people previously protested outside the parliament building in Warsaw on Saturday against the proposals to introduce a complete ban on abortions.

The plans come from a pro-life campaigner which has secured 450,000 signatures, as well as support from the Church and some members of the conservative ruling party, Law and Justice.

Though Law and Justice has a parliamentary majority, it remains unclear whether they would be able to push the measure through.

Some newscasters from Poland's private broadcaster, TVN24, dressed in black apparently in a sign of support of action being staged in cities including Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw.

TVN24 screened images joining the strike, including a Wroclaw restaurant which shut to allow female workers to participate, and a Krakow museum where not a single woman arrived at work.

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