The Poland’s national-conservative Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, has announced her support for a ban on abortions on Thursday, backing the grassroots movement called Stop Abortion.

“I support the initiative,” she said, referring to the anti-abortion movement that is collecting signatures for a change in Poland’s abortion law.

Polish law currently allows for abortion in cases of rape, if the foetus is severely disabled or if the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life.

Szydlo said that she was aware that her opinions might not represent those of all lawmakers of her Law and Justice Party. She previously said she was in favour of a parliamentary debate on the abortion issue.

“Each one of us will follow his own conscience,” she said.

“Lawmakers have not had to toe the party line in votes of this kind.

“Polish bishops recently denounced the existing law as an unacceptable compromise.

“Both the bishops and anti-abortion activists reject the termination of a pregnancy under any circumstances,’’ she said.