Poles vent anger at leader over his policies, ideas on women

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of people have protested outside the house of Poland’s ruling party leader to voice anger at what’s widely seen as the erosion of women’s rights under the conservative government and the leader’s recent remark about women using alcohol. They protested a near total ban on abortion pushed by Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s Law and Justice party that took effect last year, as well as policies that ended state funding of in-vitro fertilization. They also chanted slogans urging Kaczynski to leave politics. Police prevented demonstrators from reaching the house. Women’s Strike, a prominent women’s rights movement, called for Monday’s demonstration after Kaczynski earlier this month blamed Poland’s low birthrate partly on young women drinking too much alcohol.