Members of Nowoczesna, a Polish opposition party, have sent a letter of gratitude to the Icelandic people for the country’s solidarity against the now-defeated abortion legislation that sparked global protests.
The legislation in question, which would have instituted an almost total ban on abortions in Poland, sparked massive protests in Poland and beyond, and Iceland was one of many countries who not only held sympathy protests, but also sent an open letter to the Polish parliament on the matter. This letter, signed by numerous Icelandic MPs, urged the Polish government to re-think its position on the matter.
The conservative government inevitably caved under the pressure and defeated the legislation, and Nowoczesna had a word of thanks for the Icelandic people in general, and the Icelandic MPs who signed their open letter in particular.
“Our hope is that this letter from you will encourage further cooperation between Iceland and Polish members of parliament,” the letter reads in part. “The Icelandic Women’s Day Off [a women’s strike first held in 1975 in Iceland] was our inspiration, and we believe Polish society could learn a lot from the Icelandic one, especially regarding the knowledge and experience of Icelandic women when it comes to pregnancy, maternity and paternity leave, family and gender studies.”
The full letter (in Icelandic) can be read here.
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