Polish government is using isolation restrictions to enact the complete abortion ban in my home country. I’m speechless... Posted by Adam Nergal Darski on Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH has ripped his country's parliament for considering regressive legislation this week that would restrict reproductive health and rights and put the lives and well-being of women and adolescents at risk. The legislation is scheduled for reading on April 15 or 16, 2020 as the country remains under a COVID-19-related state of emergency that bans group gatherings.
The "Stop Abortion" bill proposes to remove the legal possibility of terminating pregnancy in the case of severe impairment of the foetus, including in cases where such impairment is fatal. With almost all pregnancy terminations lawfully carried out in Poland today falling under this category, the bill — if adopted — would result in virtually outlawing abortion and seriously affecting rights and safety of women in the country.
Earlier today, Nergal took to his social media to write: "Polish government is using isolation restrictions to enact the complete abortion ban in my home country. I'm speechless and terrified to see how shameless they are on the way to utter victory... to turn Poland into next North Korea or Belarus. Utterly disgusting. I honestly hate the fact I breathe the same air..."
In 2007, Nergal became a household name in Poland when he was prosecuted for blasphemy for tearing up a Bible on stage. The case went all the way to the European Commission which issued a ruling in 2012 that the self-confessed Satanist was entitled to offend people.
In a 2019 interview with The Irish Times, Nergal stated about his landmark blasphemy case: "I tore up a Bible in Poland. Somebody filmed that and put it on the Internet. Back then, I was an easy target, and I'm an even easier target nowadays because I'm easily recognized in Poland. In Poland, it is very easy to bring me to the court. Even if politicians lose, their name still goes out."
He added: "Poland is a very conservative and nationalistic in a bad way. It has right-wing tendencies that are growing. There are things that I find disturbing."
BEHEMOTH's latest album, "I Loved You At Your Darkest", was released in 2018. A follow-up effort is tentatively due in 2021.
