Protests Break Out in Poland After Court Makes Sensible Abortion Restriction—The U.S. Should Do the Same

In Poland, protests have erupted after the nation’s highest court determined that it is unconstitutional to abort a child based on a prenatal diagnosis of a particular condition, like Down syndrome. For abortion activists, this is a sign that a total abortion ban is coming in one of the most pro-life governments in the world.

Previously, 98% of Poland’s abortions were performed due to a prenatal defect diagnosis. That’s all changed due to the high court’s recent decision and leaves the country with only three legal paths to abortion: rape, incest or if the mother’s health is in danger.

The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, said that the decision was “a sad day for women’s rights.”

Mijatovic also tweeted, “Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates human rights.

Kaja Godek, a member of the pro-life Polish group Stop Abortion, said, “Today is an example for Europe, it’s an example for the world.”

She could not be more right.

In Europe, recent reports have shown that abortion on the basis of a prenatal diagnosis is increasingly common, especially when it comes to Down syndrome.

The world was shocked when CBS reported that Down syndrome had all but disappeared from Iceland. Though the headline was misleading and could be interpreted that the large island nation had found treatment or cure, instead physicians across the country were routinely aborting preborn babies with the condition to the point that only one or two children with Down syndrome were born every year. Usually, that’s only because of a missed prenatal diagnosis.

In Denmark, the statistic is similar with the country eliminating 98% of the children with Down syndrome, and in the U.K. it’s roughly 90%.

It’s estimated that between 67%-85% of preborn babies with Down syndrome are aborted in the United States, and, as a result, the Down syndrome population has dropped by 30%.

A lot of this is due to the increasing use of abortion as a “treatment.” This is occurring despite the fact that individuals with the Down syndrome are living longer, healthier lives and are making great strikes in school and in the workforce.

This new Polish order will help protect vulnerable babies, and the United States should adopt similar legislation.

There’s no reason why, when medical science has come such a long way, that we continue to target innocent Down syndrome babies and others with particular medical conditions for death.

Oftentimes, abortion is done under the auspices of mercy or to reduce suffering, due to concerns that the medical and physical effects of the condition could limit social interactions and school.

A woman on the pro-abortion website, Shout Your Abortion, wrote after a prenatal diagnosis, “My husband and I researched the life expectancy and potential complications for a person with Down syndrome and decided that we did not want to bring a baby into this world to face the harsh realities of people with disabilities. I really wanted to have this baby, but I was not ready to face the complication of life with a child with Down syndrome.”

It’s doubtful that these and other parents realize that this line of reasoning was also used by Nazi doctors to justify to parents the euthanasia of children with disabilities.

The court in Poland should be applauded for this move, as it will hopefully save many, many children from the simple crime of being born different.

Photo from AGENCJA GAZETA

Visit our Election 2020 page