“Czerwona kartka za aborcję” (Red Card for Abortion) protests on Thursday in 24 Polish cities, including Warsaw

On Thursday 22 October at 18:00, demonstrations under the slogan “Czerwona kartka za aborcję” (Red Card for Abortion) will take place in 24 cities, among them Warsaw, Gdańsk, Poznań, Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Katowice and Lublin. The date is no coincidence: on 22 October 2020 the Trybunał Konstytucyjny (TK) found unconstitutional the provision allowing abortion in cases of severe and irreversible foetal impairment or an incurable illness threatening the foetus's life; the ruling then sparked mass protests across the country.

The organisers recall that liberalising the abortion law was one of the key promises of the coalition that won the 2023 elections and has still not been delivered. The All-Poland Women's Strike (Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet) says the authorities “have done nothing to change this”, while women with life-threatening pregnancies are still forced to seek help abroad.

The initiative comes from the Gdańsk-based Fundacja Widzialne; local demonstrations are also being organised by other women's organisations, including Strajk Kobiet. According to the organisers, it will be the largest demonstration on abortion in two years.