Posted on Oct 21, 2023
As Europe applauds Poland's election results, civil rights groups prepare to fight
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/21/ [login to see] /poland-election-tusk-lgbtq-abortion-rights
As results from Poland's Sunday election began pouring in, Hubert Sobecki watched in disbelief as it started to dawn on him that the right-wing Law and Justice party would not be governing the country much longer.
"It's like living in a toxic household with a violent partner, and suddenly you're free of them," says Sobecki, a spokesman for Love Does Not Exclude, an association representing Poland's LGBTQ+ community. "How can you learn to live again?"
During eight years in power, the Law and Justice party, known by its Polish abbreviation PiS, has established what it calls "LGBTQ-free zones" across the country. It has called homosexuals "animals," "emissaries of Satan" and worse.
As results from Poland's Sunday election began pouring in, Hubert Sobecki watched in disbelief as it started to dawn on him that the right-wing Law and Justice party would not be governing the country much longer.
"It's like living in a toxic household with a violent partner, and suddenly you're free of them," says Sobecki, a spokesman for Love Does Not Exclude, an association representing Poland's LGBTQ+ community. "How can you learn to live again?"
During eight years in power, the Law and Justice party, known by its Polish abbreviation PiS, has established what it calls "LGBTQ-free zones" across the country. It has called homosexuals "animals," "emissaries of Satan" and worse.
As Europe applauds Poland's election results, civil rights groups prepare to fight
Posted from npr.org
Poland
Voting
Elections
LGBTQ+
Rights
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Abortion rights advocates are also skeptical the new government will embrace their goals
A few neighborhoods away in Poland's capital, Natalia Broniarczyk was unpacking from a trip to Strasbourg, France, where she accepted a European Union award for her work on abortion rights, when she heard the election news.
"You can see that I'm quite cheerful, but I'm also a realist," she says. "So I know that we still have so much work to do."
Three years ago, Poland's government further restricted abortion to include cases of malformed fetuses.
"We were breaking the law many times to save someone's life," says Broniarczyk. "We were sending pills to hospitals, which is illegal. We were calling to hospitals and threatening doctors that we will send TV if they will not do a procedure."
Last weekend, Broniarczyk says police showed up at her parents' home outside of Warsaw looking for her. A new liberal government will likely mean these visits will stop, but Broniarczyk isn't optimistic.
"I think that they are not brave enough to be supporters of legal abortion on demand," she says of who will likely form the new government. "And to be honest, I don't have any hope if it comes to Donald Tusk because he promised so many times legal abortion."
That was when Tusk was prime minister years ago, and she says he didn't keep his promises. Tusk promises to introduce a bill that would legalize abortion for pregnancies up to 12 weeks, but Broniarczyk isn't holding her breath.
She says now the waiting starts for Tusk and his incoming government to be brave and go beyond their promises.
Piotr Zakowiecki contributed to this report from Warsaw."
..."Abortion rights advocates are also skeptical the new government will embrace their goals
A few neighborhoods away in Poland's capital, Natalia Broniarczyk was unpacking from a trip to Strasbourg, France, where she accepted a European Union award for her work on abortion rights, when she heard the election news.
"You can see that I'm quite cheerful, but I'm also a realist," she says. "So I know that we still have so much work to do."
Three years ago, Poland's government further restricted abortion to include cases of malformed fetuses.
"We were breaking the law many times to save someone's life," says Broniarczyk. "We were sending pills to hospitals, which is illegal. We were calling to hospitals and threatening doctors that we will send TV if they will not do a procedure."
Last weekend, Broniarczyk says police showed up at her parents' home outside of Warsaw looking for her. A new liberal government will likely mean these visits will stop, but Broniarczyk isn't optimistic.
"I think that they are not brave enough to be supporters of legal abortion on demand," she says of who will likely form the new government. "And to be honest, I don't have any hope if it comes to Donald Tusk because he promised so many times legal abortion."
That was when Tusk was prime minister years ago, and she says he didn't keep his promises. Tusk promises to introduce a bill that would legalize abortion for pregnancies up to 12 weeks, but Broniarczyk isn't holding her breath.
She says now the waiting starts for Tusk and his incoming government to be brave and go beyond their promises.
Piotr Zakowiecki contributed to this report from Warsaw."
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