Antonina Majchrzak (Civic Coalition) and Mateusz Orzechowski (New Left) who were running for the first time to the Sejm, Antonina Majchrzak (Civic Coalition) and Mateusz Orzechowski (New Left), talked about women’s rights in Poland, financing of in vitro fertilization from the state budget and the transparency of the assets of politicians and their families in “Time of Decisions: Debuts”. – Women’s hell is unimaginable. Something that isn’t talked about loud enough, Majchrzak said. Orzechowski recalled the Left’s demands regarding legal abortion.
Business analyst and councilor from Łódź Antonina Majchrzak – running on the Civic Coalition list from the 6th place in district no. 9 (Łódź) – and vice-chairman of the Young Left Mateusz Orzechowski, candidate of the New Left in 26th place in district no. 5 (Grudziądz, Toruń, Włocławek) were guests “Decision Time: Debuts” program on TVN24.
TVN24’s interlocutors, who were running for parliament for the first time, talked about, among other things, the situation of women in Poland and how they intend to fight for their votes.
– I am one of the people who, from the first days after the judgment of the pseudo-Constitutional Tribunal, took to the streets together with my colleagues from work – said Orzechowski. – We are trying to fight for these votes, first of all, with specific demands regarding women’s safety, i.e. abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy will be legal, contraceptive pills will be, above all, available – he declared.
He added that, as an activist of the Young Left, he creates “menstrual baskets for women in schools who unfortunately currently have to face period poverty.” – They often do not have access to menstrual products and have to either miss their classes or simply not come to school. And thanks to my initiative and the initiative of other people from the Young Left, these people now have access to these products in some schools in Grudziądz and Toruń – he said.
Orzechowski: how we try to fight for women’s votes is with specific demands regarding women’s safetyTVN24
“Women’s hell is something unimaginable. Something that isn’t talked about loud enough.”
Majchrzak emphasized that “we do not want and cannot live in Poland where a positive result on a pregnancy test does not mean only joy and completing the layette, but above all, great fear and anxiety about whether, when the pregnancy will be at risk, “The mother’s life will be put first.”
The KO candidate stated that “at the moment, obtaining emergency contraception is a very traumatic process.” – Not only involving a visit to a hospital, to a doctor, who may first of all refuse to prescribe such emergency contraception, but then to a pharmacy, where the pharmacist may also invoke the conscience clause.
– We do not want to live in a country where we are denied anesthesia during childbirth. Poland is last in the ranking where this anesthesia is administered, which also affects the fertility rate, she emphasized. In her opinion, “in fact, the women’s hell that has been given to us, young women, is unimaginable.” “Something that isn’t talked about loud enough,” she added.
Majchrzak: we do not want and cannot live in Poland where a positive result on a pregnancy test does not only mean joyTVN24
Financing in vitro from the budget. “It should be a national program”
The candidates also spoke about the need for state financing of in vitro fertilization.
– We cannot put the issue of in vitro financing solely on the shoulders of local governments – said Majchrzak. In her opinion, “it should be a national program.” – We must give young people the opportunity to get pregnant also through in vitro, at a time when we are currently struggling with a large percentage of couples who cannot get pregnant naturally – she said.
Orzechowski said that “Law and Justice talks so much about families, but it only chooses families that are convenient for Law and Justice.” He emphasized that “The Left is also fighting for in vitro fertilization in local governments.”
The fertility rate is falling in Poland and the government does not reimburse in vitro fertilization. “PiS completely does not understand what social policy is”Stefania Kulik/Fakty po Południu TVN24
“Polish men deserve transparency”
TVN24 guests were also asked whether, if they get to the Sejm, they will reveal their assets and the assets of their loved ones. – I believe that, above all, people who hold such honorable positions should make their assets and those of their loved ones available, said the Left candidate.
His task would be to “prevent pathologies.” – But what I think young people currently expect is, above all, specifics. Not just how much Law and Justice it stole, how much it hid of its assets, but above all, program specifics – he said.
Majchrzak emphasized that she was already disclosing her financial benefits as a local government official. – I believe that at this point, transparency regarding loved ones is also necessary. Polish women and men deserve this transparency, to know who makes decisions for us. Nobody forbids anyone from being rich, having real estate and property. The important thing is that it is simply transparent, she said
Main photo source: TVN24