Members of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) have a joint hearing on "Attacks on abortion rights and breaches of the Rule of Law in Poland". Extracts of the hearing with Andrzej SADOS, Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU, Dorota BOJEMSKA, Chair Family Council, Marta LEMPART, Leader of the Polish Women's Strike Movement, Wojciech HERMELINSKI, Lawyer and statements by Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair LIBE Committee and Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), Chair FEMM committee.

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Joint hearing of the LIBE and FEMM Committee on the Attacks on abortion rights and breaches of the rule of law in Poland: extracts and statements

Title: Joint hearing of the LIBE and FEMM Committee on the Attacks on abortion rights and breaches of the rule of law in Poland: extracts and statements

SOUNDBITE (English), Juan Fernando L&#211;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Chair LIBE, This is the first time in the European process in which we have seen that interruption of pregnancy law in a member state is modified in order to restrict women's choices. So it's a matter of fundamental rights involved. It's a matter of public health. Yes, it's a matter of criminal law, too. But it's also a matter of regression in the context of a massive interference by the ruling majority in Poland upon the judiciary in every possible way, including, of course, the constitutional court. So we have heard allegations about the constitutional court being politically interfered. We have seen allegations of rights being restricted in Poland. We have seen allegations of many concerns aroused by the abuse of that, a ruling majority, upon too many. And of course, we have heard a cry of those many rallying in the streets asking for women's choice to be respected, just like everywhere else in the European Union. So it's a matter worth thinking and worth discussing.

SOUNDBITE (English), Juan Fernando L&Oacute;PEZ AGUILAR (S&amp;D, ES), Chair LIBE, It's just natural that we cry out: Polish women, you're not alone. You have been rallying in the street. You've got the support of many of us, which might not be Polish, but are European citizens. And we care about the European dimension of Polish citizenship.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&amp;D, AT), Chair FEMM committee, The Polish government attacks women's health and safety willingly and knowingly, with the de facto abolition of abortion. It will not reduce abortions. It will reduce and eliminate safe abortions. And insofar as this hearing is absolutely necessary, the European Union is a union on values and core values are, of course, also women's health and safety. So it's in due time that we are doing this hearing, and women's rights are human rights. And we checked that, at least seven international and EU treaties and conventions are not respected anymore. There is a breach of really international conventions. So it is our task and our duty to do this hearing as quickly as possible.

Atmosphere from the meeting room, 7 shots

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Andrzej  SADOS, Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU, Poland consistently stood up for the right to life and does not expect any political interference from the EU institutions in this matter. The Constitutional Court in Poland in its ruling, stated again that from the moment of conception, every human being has the right to life and every human life has the same value. And to unite and maintain its position from 1997, according to which human life is of  phase of its development and should be protected by the legislation and the constitutional provisions are the source of any restriction of the protection of human life must be absolutely necessary that this must be the absolute last resort.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Dorota BOJEMSKA, Chair Family Council, Ministry of Family and Social policy, Poland, We are mainly concerned for protecting the weak and the most vulnerable in our society. This is part of our history and Poland. This is integral to our constitution in our country.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Dorota BOJEMSKA, Chair Family Council, Ministry of Family and Social policy, Poland, You can't defend the rights of one part of society while trampling the rights of another part of the international community understands that we need to defend all forms of rights. Women have a right to be mothers with the necessary social and financial support and it should be a matter of shared concern on your side and on ours because legalising abortion will never help to solve women's problems.

SOUNDBITE (English), Marta LEMPART, Leader of the Polish Women&apos;s Strike Movement, If we lose the rule of law, if we lose judicial independence, we lose everything. Polish government's war on women's rights is nothing new. It started immediately when they took power. We are stripped of all of our reproductive rights one by one sexual education, contraception and emergency contraception, in vitro procedure, all the also the abortion.

SOUNDBITE (English), Marta LEMPART, Leader of the Polish Women's Strike Movement, This is so hard. I am on sixty five trials for organising protests. The latest charges brought against me a month to eight years in jail. We lose our jobs, our families suffer. We are being detained. We are being beaten. We are teargas. We put our bodies on the line. We put our lives on the line. And this is so hard. And yet we stand we the women of Poland, we stand, we the people of Poland, we stand five years and recently one hundred ongoing days.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Wojciech HERMELINSKI, Lawyer, Attorney, former judge Constitutional Tribunal, Poland, This judgement, I think it's been affected by double mistake. 15 judges handed down this ruling. Two of those judges, well, there was actually one of those judges who wasn't supposed to take part. She was an MP. She was an MP, MP of the same, and had actually put in a request to the constitutional court with the same content as the request that was handed down in that ruling.

Joint hearing of the LIBE and FEMM Committee on the Attacks on abortion rights and breaches of the rule of law in Poland: extracts and statements

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Violence against women

Rule of law

Rule of law in Poland

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FEMM - Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

LIBE - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

EU - Poland