... The legal challenge against the 1993 law allowing abortion in cases of severe foetal disabilities was launched by MPs from the nationalist Law and Justice party last year.  A majority of the court's judges were nominated by the same party.

Ahead of the ruling, Polish sexual and reproductive health and rights activist Antonina Lewandowska told the BBC that the defence of the 1993 law was based on UN rules outlawing torture.

"It's inhuman, it's despicable honestly to make anyone carry a pregnancy to term, especially if the foetus is malformed, and 98% of legal abortions carried out in Poland are due to foetal malformations," she said.