Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 05 October 2016
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Mass Protests in Poland Over Abortion Ban
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- mass: major; a large amount
- abortion: the act of terminating an unwanted pregnancy
- bill: a proposed law that the government has to vote on
- legislation: text that describes a law
- rape: forced sexual contact
- collapse: to fall apart
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Mass Protests in Poland Over Abortion Ban
Comprehension Questions
- What was the “Black Monday” protest?
- What inspired the proposed bill?
- What does the report say about Poland’s current abortion law?
Discussion Questions: The proposed abortion ban in Poland came with a five-year prison sentence that women and their doctors would face for breaking the law. In your opinion, does a government have the right to punish or prevent a woman for terminating an unwanted pregnancy?
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Mass Protests in Poland Over Abortion Ban
Tens of thousands of people in Poland walked off the job and out of their classrooms on Monday to protest a total abortion ban that their government was considering. The Polish bill to ban abortion outright was inspired by a pro-life petition that had been signed by 100,000 people and backed by the Catholic Church. The proposed law would have banned all abortions in Poland, even in pregnancies that resulted from rape. Women across Poland took to the streets wearing all black to protest the bill. The legislation, which went one step beyond Poland’s current strict abortion law, collapsed this week following the “Black Monday” protest.
- The “Black Monday” protest was a protest by people in Poland against a proposed total abortion ban.
- A pro-life petition signed by 100,000 people and backed by the Catholic Church inspired the proposed bill.
- The report says that Poland’s current abortion law is already strict.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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