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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 7 June 2022
Poland, with near-total abortion ban, to record pregnancies

By VANESSA GERA increased risk of medical
Associated Press problems or even death
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — by avoiding prenatal care,
The government of Poland, Lempart fears.
where a near-total abor- Lempart also worries that
tion ban is in place, faced information gained by po-
accusations Monday of lice could be shared with
creating a "pregnancy state media to harm peo-
register" as the country ex- ple's reputations.
pands the amount of medi- She already knows how
cal data being digitally that can happen. In 2020,
saved on patients. Lempart tested positive for
Women's rights advocates COVID-19, and the infor-
and opposition politicians mation was reported by
fear women face unprec- state television even be-
edented surveillance given fore she got her results.
the conservative views of Poland — a predominantly
a ruling party that has al- Catholic country — bans
ready tightened what was abortion in almost all cases,
one of Europe's most re- with exceptions only when
strictive abortion laws. a woman's life or health is
They fear the new data endangered or if the preg-
could be used by police nancy results from rape or
and prosecutors against incest.
women whose pregnan- For years, abortion was al-
cies end, even in cases of lowed in the case of fetus-
miscarriage, or that wom- A group of women's rights activists protest against Poland's strict anti-abortion law, outside the top es with congenital defects.
en could be tracked by the constitutional court, in Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 26, 2022. That exception was struck
state if they order abortion Associated Press down by the constitutional
pills or travel abroad for an man, Wojciech Andrusie- rays or certain medicines. partners. court in 2020.
abortion. "A pregnancy wicz, sought to allay con- "Nobody is creating a preg- "Being pregnant means In practice, Polish women
registry in a country with an cerns, saying only medical nancy register in Poland," that police can come to seeking to terminate their
almost complete ban on professionals will have ac- he told the TVN24 all-news you any time and prosecu- pregnancies order abor-
abortion is terrifying," said cess to the data, and that station. tors can come to you to ask tions pills or travel to Ger-
Agnieszka Dziemianowicz- the changes are being But Marta Lempart, the you questions about your many, the Czech Republic
Bąk, a left-wing lawmaker. made at the recommen- leader of a women's rights pregnancy," Lempart said. and other countries where
The matter gained atten- dation of the European group, Women's Strike, said The new system means the procedure is allowed.
tion Monday after Health Union. The effort, he said, she does not trust the gov- many Polish women will While self-administering
Minister Adam Niedzielski is meant to improve the ernment to keep informa- now avoid the state medi- abortion pills is legal, help-
signed an ordinance Friday medical treatment of pa- tion on women's pregnan- cal system during their ing someone else is not.
expanding the amount of tients, including if they seek cies from the police and pregnancies, with wealth- Activist Justyna Wydrzyńska
information to be saved in treatment elsewhere in the prosecutors. She told The ier women seeking private is facing up to three years
a central database on pa- 27-member EU. In the case Associated Press that po- treatment or traveling in prison for helping a victim
tients, including information of pregnant women, he lice in Poland are already abroad, even for prenatal of domestic violence ac-
on allergies, blood type said this will help doctors questioning women on care. cess abortion pills. Amnesty
and pregnancies. immediately know which how their pregnancies end, Meanwhile, poorer wom- International says it is the
The health ministry spokes- women should not get X- tipped off by disgruntled en in Poland will face an first such case in Europe.q
Cyprus to UN: Turkey seeks full control

of breakaway north

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — port as a domestic flight "Secondly, (financial) pro-
Cyprus will lodge a com- route, effectively turning it tocol clearly demonstrates
plaint with the United Na- into a Turkish one. Ankara's complete control
tions over Turkey's new Many liberal Turkish Cy- of the Turkish Cypriots."
financial assistance deal priots fear that both the Turkish officials reportedly
with breakaway Turk- financial deal and the air- said the designation aims
ish Cypriots that demon- port designation are the to make flights to and from
strates Ankara's "complete clearest signals yet that northern Cyprus cheaper.
control" over them, the Turkey's President Recep Turkish Cypriots declared
president of the ethnically Tayyip Erdogan wants to independence in the is-
divided island nation said eventually annex break- land nation's northern third
Monday. President Nicos away northern Cyprus. nearly a decade after Tur-
Anastasiades, a Greek "I will proceed with the key invaded in 1974 fol-
Cypriot, told state broad- complaint again with the lowing a coup by support- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a ceremony,
caster CyBC that he would United Nations relative to ers of union with Greece. in Ankara, Turkey, May 16, 2022. Associated Press
also include in the protest the airport which ... in es- Only Turkey recognizes the
letter Turkey's move to des- sence is being integrated Turkish Cypriots' indepen- facilitated talks over nearly composed of Greek and
ignate the Turkish Cypriots' and considered a Turkish dence. a half century to reunify Turkish speaking sectors
unrecognized, main air- airport," Anastasiades said. Numerous rounds of U.N.- Cyprus as a federation have led nowhere. q