Thousands of people have protested in Warsaw against proposals to tighten Poland's abortion law, which is already one of the most restrictive in Europe.

The current legislation bans all terminations, except when the pregnancy results from rape or incest, poses a health risk to the mother, or if the foetus is severely deformed.

Anti-abortion activists backed by the Roman Catholic church have tabled a citizen's bill in Parliament that would allow abortion only where it was necessary to save the mother's life.

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The proposal, which would also increase the maximum jail term for people who perform abortions from two years to five, has sparked a backlash in Poland, where some 90 per cent of Poles identify as Catholic.

More than 3,000 people attended the pro-choice rally on Saturday, with protesters waving wire coat hangers, a tool sometimes used in the past for crude and dangerous self-terminations.

"I want women in Poland to have the same choice as in civilised countries, where the right to abortion is normal," said protester Urszula Kwasna.

The head of the ruling conservative Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and Prime Minister Beata Szydlo have voiced their support for the proposal, which needs 100,000 signatures in support to be examined by Parliament.

Opponents have launched their own plan to get 100,000 signatures supporting a law liberalising abortion.

Legal abortions in Poland, which has a population of 38 million, are limited to around 700 to 1,800 per year.

There are no reliable statistics on the number of illegal abortions in Poland or women who undergo the procedure at clinics in nearby countries like Austria, Germany and Slovakia.

AFP