The issue has divided Catholic Poland

The women who disembark from the floating abortion clinic risk being splattered with eggs and red paint by a small but aggressive group of ultra-conservative protesters gathered on the quayside in the Polish port of Wladyslawowo. But in staunchly Roman Catholic Poland, home to Pope John Paul II and one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, it is a price these women are willing to pay. The ship, whose trip to Poland has been organised by the Dutch-based campaign group Women on Waves, provides a rare opportunity for Polish women to gain free family planning advice and abortions without turning to the back streets or going abroad. Condemned as a "murderous" enterprise by conservative politicians and hailed as a symbol of hope by women's rights activists, the continuing presence of the boat has unleashed a fierce debate across Poland, dividing the country straight down the middle.