⁍ Protesters gathered in several dozens towns and cities in defiance of coronavirus restrictions.

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⁍ The court ruling last Thursday fuelled an unprecedented backlash against the powerful Roman Catholic Church in Poland.

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⁍ After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will be banned in the case of foetal abnormalities.

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⁍ It will be legal only in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the woman’s health.

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– A near-total ban on abortion is set to go into effect in Poland on Thursday, but protests against it have been going on for five days now, with thousands blocking city streets in cars, on bicycles, and on foot, Reuters reports. The ruling from the country’s Constitutional Court bans abortion in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the woman’s health. It will be legal only in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the woman’s health. The Law and Justice party, which came to power in Poland five years ago on a promise to instill more traditional values, is seen as having close links with the Catholic Church. The ruling has also heightened criticism of PiS, which came to power five years ago on a promise to instil more traditional values. It will be legal only in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the woman’s health. The European Commission says the ruling subverts the rule of law by politicizing courts. The government has called for a halt to the protests because of a rising number of coronavirus cases overwhelming the health care system. ‘What’s happening in recent days is absolutely unacceptable,’ Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s chief of staff, Michal Dworczyk, told private radio RMF. ‘Pandemic rules are being broken.’ Poland recorded 10,241 new coronavirus cases on Monday, compared with a record of 13,632 on Friday. Parliament is due to discuss the impact of the court ruling on the government aid program for families with disabled children on Tuesday. Protests are expected to continue near the house of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.