The court's verdict prompted a wave of demonstrations across Poland last fall. Protesters directed their anger at the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), but also at the Catholic Church, which welcomed the decision.
Demonstrators disrupted Masses while holding signs supporting abortion, left graffiti on Church property, vandalized statues of St. John Paul II, and chanted slogans at clergy.
The publication of the ruling in January sparked a new series of protests.
The ruling, which cannot be appealed, could lead to a significant reduction in the number of abortions in the country. Until now, Polish law permitted abortion only in cases of rape or incest, a risk to the mother's life, or fetal abnormality.
Approximately 1,000 legal abortions take place in Poland each year. The majority are carried out in cases where the unborn child has a severe and irreversible disability or a life-threatening incurable disease.
Polish pro-life campaigners described this legal provision as "eugenic." Data from the Ministry of Health showed that in 2019, the likelihood of Down syndrome accounted for 40% of abortions.