For Poles, Pro-Choice Often Means a Trip to Berlin

For Poles, Pro-Choice Often Means a Trip to Berlin

In Berlin leftist graffiti dominates the streets. Unless you venture far enough into Pankow, which I cannot recommend, you’ll likely only find posters, street art, stickers, and graffiti that match Berlin’s politics: left-wing, queer, and pro-reproductive rights. Less than a two-hour drive away in Poland, it’s an entirely different story. There’s a Polish joke that goes: “if you’re standing on the street and there’s an anti-abortion poster behind your back and you don’t see one in front of you, it means you’ve reached the border.” 

Since 1993, abortion has been illegal in Poland except in cases of fetal abnormalities, a serious risk to the life or health of the pregnant person, or rape or incest. In October 2020, the country’s Constitutional Tribunal struck the first of those–fetal abnormalities–from the list of permitted cases. And although this law only came into effect in January 2021, hospitals began refusing people last fall. Contraception is available in Poland but can be refused on the grounds of a “consciousness clause,” meaning medical staff can deny access based on their beliefs. 

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Why Berlin Needs to Step up for the LGBTQI* Rights in Poland

Why Berlin Needs to Step up for the LGBTQI* Rights in Poland

Poland is only a two hours bus or train ride away. Still, the situation for LGBTQI* people could not be more different than in Berlin. The politics of the strictly catholic neighbor country is still holding on moral concepts of the 40s. Assaults and police brutality against members of the Rainbow spectrum became more in the last years. These are issues that queer activist from all over the world are becoming aware of and want to tackle on. 

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Narrative Urban Poland

Narrative Urban Poland

M-City

Fans of street art should check out the opening of Narrative Urban Poland tomorrow at the Urban Spree gallery in Friedrichshain. It will showcase the artworks and a mural by four prominent street artists and painters from Poland: M-City, Magda Drobcyzk, Otecki and Zbiok. After the jump you can get a preview of the show, but you should definately enjoy it in the amazing space of the gallery.

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