Poland appears torn by abortion. Research hints divide isn鈥檛 so deep.
| Warsaw, Poland
Teresa Barszczowska is a proud Polish conservative, and typically votes her Law and Justice party鈥檚 line.
But when it comes to a woman鈥檚 right to terminate a pregnancy, she wishes her conservative leaders would have had more empathy.
That ability to put oneself in another鈥檚 shoes was missing, she says, when her party鈥檚 leader, Jaros艂aw Kaczy艅ski, imposed a near-total abortion ban in 2020. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 have his family of his own; he鈥檚 a bachelor. He doesn鈥檛 know how it is,鈥� says Ms. Barszczowska, a pensioner. 鈥淗e really shouldn鈥檛 be meddling in these things.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onPoland seems like a bitterly divided country, especially over hot-button topics like abortion. But there鈥檚 middle ground to be found, thanks to empathy among even the most conservative Poles.
The issue of abortion has neatly cleaved the Polish political class, yet researchers find that Poles themselves feel much more empathy around it than their elected leaders. And the idea that people hold compassion around many divisive issues presents an opportunity to bridge a societal divide, says Zofia W艂odarczyk, a researcher at the social science think tank More in Common, which .
After all, voters ushered out Law and Justice鈥檚 government, which instituted the abortion ban, and brought in one that plans to reinstate abortion rights. A polarized society desperately needs to find some common ground, and empathy could be a bridge, says Dr. W艂odarczyk.
鈥淲e basically only talk [in politics] about abortion 鈥� are you for, or are you against, but there鈥檚 so much in between that鈥檚 gray,鈥� she says. And when she and her colleagues interviewed voters of all stripes, . Even among the most staunchly conservative, religious group聽鈥� about 6% of those surveyed聽鈥� about a third of men and women surveyed would support someone close to them getting an abortion, and 35% of the most conservative women know someone who鈥檚 had an abortion. The vast majority of Polish men and women of all persuasions oppose punishing women who choose abortion.
鈥淔rom all political spectrums, when people talked about abortion or about women who decide to have abortions, they talked with care and empathy,鈥� says Dr. W艂odarczyk. 鈥淎s in, 鈥業 wouldn鈥檛 do it myself, but I understand why someone might.鈥� And when people have that empathy, it鈥檚 easier to find common ground. For the [new] ruling coalition, it鈥檚 a big task to find that common ground with voters who voted against them, and in these areas, it鈥檚 possible.鈥�
Anna W贸jcik, a legal scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, says people are ready to move past what she calls 鈥渃ivil war conditions,鈥� after eight years in which the conservative majority questioned loyalty to country for simply expressing divergent views.
鈥淚 feel that Polish people are tired of this polarizing political scene and division,鈥� says Ms. W贸jcik. 鈥淏asically people want to move forward, to be able to discuss topics in democracy that we have conflicting views on, like energy transition and education and stuff like that.鈥�
Yet much remains to be seen how institutions might leverage a sentiment such as empathy and compassion, says Ewa 艁臋towska, a former judge and Poland鈥檚 first ombudsman for human rights after the fall of communism.
鈥淚t exists, but how is anyone going to build [on] it? It鈥檚 hard for me to believe that the Catholic Church, in particular, is particularly passionate about love of thy neighbor, because it鈥檚 quite the opposite,鈥� says Ms. 艁臋towska, pointing to the church鈥檚 politicization and close relationship with Law and Justice during the party鈥檚 rule. 鈥淭here is potential, but it must come from above, in the sense of what is appropriate, and what is not appropriate.鈥�
And the people might just be ready. Sebastian Kozio艂 holds traditional views, such as men should be the head of household, but he nevertheless feels compassion for women who might seek an abortion.
鈥淚t shouldn鈥檛 be a government referendum,鈥� says Mr. Kozio艂, who is currently between jobs. 鈥淏ecause social welfare isn鈥檛 good enough to support a family. Women bear the consequences, and therefore it should be their decision.鈥�
Editor's note: The story was updated to correct the spelling of Anna W贸jcik's surname.
