Protests have been taking place in Polish cities for the third night in a row following the introduction of a near-total ban on abortion in the country, BBC News reported.

Abortion is now allowed in Poland only in cases of rape or incest, or when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.

Demonstrators have defied coronavirus restrictions and freezing temperatures to protest after the judgment was enforced on Wednesday.

The majority of Poles opposed a stricter ban on abortion.

Protesters in the capital Warsaw marched through the streets chanting "freedom, equality, abortion on demand."

An October 2020 ruling by the Constitutional Court found that a 1993 law allowing abortion in cases of severe and irreversible fetal abnormalities was unconstitutional.

In 2019, 98% of abortions were carried out on those grounds, meaning that the ruling effectively banned the vast majority of pregnancy terminations.

Poland's conservative government, which has strong ties to the country's powerful Catholic Church, supports the ruling.

The court justified its ruling on the grounds that "an unborn child is a human being," and therefore it deserves protection under Poland's constitution which ensures the right to life.

There is anger over the way the ruling has been introduced, without a public or parliamentary debate and by a group of judges who are widely seen as loyal to the government.