Poland's abortion ban is a cynical attempt to exploit religion by a failing leader | Karolina Wigura

Kaczyski's populist move aims to keep the Catholic church on side, but mass protests suggest he's gone too far

Coronavirus may be new, but the authoritarian instinct is as old as politics itself. One of the standard tricks of the Covid-19-era illiberal populist is to reach for religion when you are being accused of incompetence. Donald Trump posed for photos with the Bible, Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, and in Poland Jarosaw Kaczyski, the leader of the Law and Justice party (PiS), has resorted to an almost total ban on abortion.

A ruling from Poland's constitutional tribunal last week outlawed abortion in cases where the foetus is severely damaged or malformed. This in practice now means almost all forms of abortion are banned.