The Contentious Politics of Abortion: Understanding the Black Protests and Women’s Strikes in Poland
Date of Award
Spring 6-13-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
B.A. in International Studies
Organizational Unit
Josef Korbel School of International Studies, International Studies
First Advisor
Rachel Epstein
Second Advisor
Mayumi Beckelheimer
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Poland, Contentious politics, Protest, Abortion, Women's movements, Sidney Tarrow
Abstract
In 1993, the Polish Parliament, the Sejm, passed a law called ‘The Abortion Compromise’ permitting abortion only in cases when there is a serious threat to the life or health of the woman, pregnancy is the result of a crime, or prenatal tests show the fetus to be severely or incurably damaged. The current abortion laws in Poland are the most restrictive in all of Europe. Poland’s abortion laws have undergone much contestation in recent years. In 2016, the Black Protests erupted across the country in opposition to a proposed total ban on abortion. In 2020, the Women’s Strikes commenced as a reaction to a court ruling that banned abortion on the grounds of fetal impairment. This thesis seeks to understand why these episodes of contention developed. Theories of contentious politics, as advanced by Tarrow, offer explanations for why contention occurs. Tarrow’s theory is confirmed by the Black Protests and the Women’s Strikes. Zolberg offers explanations for when episodes of contentious politics are successful in achieving their aims. The Black Protests and the Women’s Strikes disconfirm Zolberg’s explanation. Analysis of Tarrow and Zolberg’s theories suggests that Tarrow’s theory travels well, but is not universal, that repression does not always deter mobilization, and that outcomes are cyclical, not permanent.
Copyright Date
4-13-2026
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Taubie Sanders
Provenance
Received from Author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
71 pgs
File Size
387 KB
Recommended Citation
Sanders, Taubie, "The Contentious Politics of Abortion: Understanding the Black Protests and Women’s Strikes in Poland" (2026). Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals. 77.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/undergraduate_theses/77
Included in
Eastern European Studies Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Political Science Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons