Polish government backs away from total abortion ban bid after mass demo

Poland's government has struggled to deal with the fallout from massive street protests by women furious at a proposal to impose a total ban on abortion - and signalled that it would withhold its support from such a measure.

Foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski denounced the protests, which involved tens of thousands of women across the nation, as "marginal" and "a mockery of important issues".