Last night, the Polish government passed two bills in the lower house of the country that will lead to a reduction in strict abortion restrictions. This action is seen as a success for the new government coalition led by Donald Tusk, which came to power nearly three years ago and promised to restore reproductive rights.
Details of the Passed Bills
The bills, which are likely to face a veto from President Karol Nawrocki, repeal criminal penalties for assisting women in obtaining abortions and re-legalize abortion in cases of severe fetal abnormalities. This change reverses one of the key components of the nearly complete abortion ban in Poland.
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Katarzyna Kotula, the Equality Commissioner of the Polish government and a representative of the Left party, stated after the bills were passed: "The government trusts women. A woman who terminates her pregnancy is exempt from criminal penalties. It is time to stop punishing everyone who loves us and respects our choices."
Challenges Ahead
However, none of these bills allow for abortion on request up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, as the Tusk civil coalition had promised during the 2023 election campaign. The multi-party coalition includes many conservatives and has not reached an agreement on including these changes.
The passed bills from the lower house, the Sejm, will now be sent to the Polish Senate, which appears ready to approve them, but their final fate remains uncertain. President Nawrocki, who supports the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), has stated before the 2025 elections that he will not sign legislation that eases abortion laws.
Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the head of the Sejm, said before the vote: "By refusing to sign abortion laws, the president harms the people. If he wants to hurt women, he will do so. I think women will see and hear this."
The effort to lift these restrictions has become a key issue for Tusk's pro-European camp. However, the governmental agreement with the conservative Polish People's Party (PSL) and Poland 2050 has hindered these changes.
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