Polish politicians have voted to move the drafting of legislation forward that aims to lift the near-total abortion ban in the country. Described by campaigners as a crucial initiative, these are steps towards liberalising some of Europe’s most stringent abortion laws.
Four Bills on abortion have been voted in Poland’s lower house of parliament to proceed for further study by a parliamentary committee. Two of these propose to legalize abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy.
After Thursday’s six-hour discussion, the vote on Friday revealed significant rifts in Donald Tusk’s ruling group concerning access to abortion. The response to the voting was immediate. Kamila Ferenc, of the Federation for Women and Family Planning, hailed it as a historical moment and commented, “For the first time since 1996, plans to liberalise and decriminalise abortion have moved to a second reading in a parliamentary committee.”
Ferenc said that her organisation had been working toward this result for a long time by educating MPs and raising public debate on the urgency to reform the law. However, she stressed that Friday’s vote only marked the beginning of likely a protracted legislative process and affirmed, “We have a lot of work to do in the future”.
The vote has been termed a “significant stride towards terminating Poland’s harsh and archaic restrictions” on abortion by Amnesty International. As the draft Bills progress, Miko Czerwiński of the organisation emphasised the importance of politicians heeding the opinions of civil society and the individuals directly affected by the near-complete prohibition on abortion. He explained that this is vital to aligning the country’s legislation with international human rights standards.
The youth-driven WSCHÓD Initiative underscored that the Bill aiming to decriminalise abortion assistance was among those passed in the vote. Wiktoria Jędroszkowiak, a member of the organisation, stated that it offers a possibility that the government will stop prosecuting partners, activists, mothers, and sisters who assist those in need of an abortion. She voiced hope of the legislation’s approval by parliament by June and pointed out that it simply requires removing one sentence from the country’s criminal code. She asserted, “No one should be prosecuted for assisting those in need.”
Numerous public figures in the nation joined in the jubilation following a certain outcome. “Today marks a joyous occasion for the women of Poland!” exclaimed Greens’ Małgorzata Tracz on an online platform, while Civic Coalition’s Krystyna Szumilas of Tusk viewed the vote as a “progressive stride for the protection of females”.
Poland, traditionally notorious for maintaining some of the most severe abortion laws within the EU, witnessed further limitations on women’s rights with a previous conservative populist administration and a 2020 court resolution prohibiting abortion in instances of foetal defects. This intensified crackdown had inadvertently led to the untimely death of at least six women, as physicians, driven by either ideological beliefs or an effort to escape legal repercussions, prioritised saving foetuses. As Human Rights Watch pointed out last year, this created a “harrowing atmosphere of dread that amplified hazards for females and children”.
In the build-up to the vote, representatives from the national coalition government, comprising Tusk’s central Civic Coalition, the Left and the conservative Third Way, concurred on the need to repeal the 2020 decree. The way to achieve this, however, lacked a unified approach. Both the Left and Tusk’s party supported the abrogation of the abortion law until the 12th week of pregnancy, with the Left intensifying this demand with an additional bill calling for the decriminalisation of abortion support. The Third Way, contrastingly, sought to revert to the stringent 1993 regulations, which were agreed upon by political figureheads and the Catholic Church. The party had also voiced support for a referendum on the subject.
Numerous advocates had dismissed the notion of a vote, referring to surveys that already indicated widespread endorsement for reform and cautioning that the procedure could be susceptible to manipulation and misinformation initiatives.
On the final day of the week, Szymon Hołownia, a politician from the Third Way and the Speaker of the Polish Parliament, reaffirmed that although his party continues advocating for a referendum, it had given its backing to all four draft laws. “We have done this out of our respect for democratic principles and with regard for the continuity of the coalition,” clarified Hołownia in a social media post. “We are now relegating the destiny of these bills to committee members.”
Yet, there remains an uncertainty looming over whether the president, Andrzej Duda, who identifies with the previous conservative government, would validate these laws, even if they are sanctioned by the Parliament.
Mr. Duda, whose final tenure will continue until the summer of 2025, has often indicated where his allegiances fall. Last month, amidst much controversy, he used his power of veto to quash a bill that would have granted girls and women aged 15 and over access to emergency contraception without needing a prescription.
This decision took place the day after a symbolic resolution was adopted by the European Parliament, advocating for the full decriminalisation of abortion, as well as the removal and combatting of hurdles to secure and lawful terminations. In the resolution’s passing, the parliament members notably pinpointed Poland and Malta, urging these countries to revoke their prohibitive laws and restrictions concerning abortion.