About 70 Poles have rallied outside a Roman Catholic bishop's
residence in Warsaw in opposition to the church's campaign against in
vitro fertilization.
A liberal politician who organized the rally
on Thursday, Janusz Palikot, nailed a copy of Poland's constitution to a
wooden cross to emphasize his view that the church is violating the
separation of church and state.
One protester held a sign that
read, "Poland is not Iran" while other demonstraters chanted, "The
constitution, and not the Bible!"
The protesters are angry that
the church is trying to persuade lawmakers to vote against a government
plan to offer state funding for the medical procedure.
IVF is a highly contested issue in the traditionally Catholic country.
SIC: TCP/INT'L