Protests erupt across Poland as near-total ban on abortion takes effect

Hundreds of protesters gathered in central Warsaw and other cities across Poland on Wednesday night after the government announced it would put into effect a constitutional court decision banning terminations of pregnancies with fetal defects. The Oct. 22 ruling had led to weeks of nationwide protests in the predominantly Catholic country, forcing the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government to delay its implementation. The government information centre said the court’s verdict would be published in its official gazette, which is a step necessary for it to take effect, later on Wednesday.