Avoiding The Issue

If there is one issue that most candidates in next week's presidential / election are loath to see raised, it is abortion. Freely available for more than 30 years under the Communists, abortion, along with the rhythm method, is Poland's primary form of birth control. But now, in one of the reversals brought on by the demise of communism, abortion may soon be outlawed under legislation supported by Poland's Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Yet opinion polls show that the majority of Poles favor keeping a woman's right to have one.

The abortion fight in Poland underscores the resurgence of the Catholic Church as a political powerhouse -- along with the traditional values it espouses. Anxious to avoid running against the grain of popular support for abortion on one hand and the church's opposition on the other, none of Poland's presidential candidates have raised the issue voluntarily. When pushed, Walesa and Mazowiecki say that as practicing Catholics, they can't oppose the church's teaching. Only Wlodzimierz Ciemoszewicz, the candidate of the former Communist Party, has declared himself against the ban.

Doctors estimate that in recent years some 600,000 abortions were performed annually in Poland. Although more than 90% of Poles belong to the Roman Catholic Church, the high abortion rate reflected a lack of contraceptives, almost nonexistent sex education and poverty.

In September the Polish Senate, on the urging of church-backed members, easily passed a bill providing jail sentences of up to two years for doctors who perform abortions. The legislation is expected to go to the Sejm, the lower house, early next year, where passage is less certain.