The fact that a Polish court verdict forced a woman to travel abroad to get an abortion due to a foetal anomaly violated her right to private and family life, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday. Despite widespread protests, the then nationalist government in 2021 put into effect a constitutional court decision banning terminations of pregnancies with foetal defects, as conservative policies took root in one of Europe's most devout Catholic countries. Poland's new liberal government has promised to protect women's rights and Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to present a bill making abortion legal until 12 weeks, although President Andrzej Duda may veto any such law.