World News for Students of English

27-10-2020 07:00

On Thursday, Poland’s top court ruled that abortion due to fetal defects was unconstitutional.

Poland is a predominantly Catholic country, and the decision ends one of the last legal grounds to terminate a pregnancy. The procedure will now be allowed in case of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother’s life. The decision was met with support from pro-life activists who said that Poland was an example for Europe and for the world. However, women’s rights activists were shocked by the decision, and they protested in the streets of the capital city of Warsaw.

Many doctors in Poland already exercise their legal right to refuse to terminate pregnancies on religious grounds. The court’s decision further distances Poland from most of Europe as one of only two EU countries to severely restrict access to abortion.

Difficult words: abortion (a procedure to end a pregnancy), fetal defect (a problem that happens while a baby is developing in the mother’s body), terminate (to end, to kill), incest (sexual relations between family members or relatives).

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