Polish lawmakers vote to ease abortion ban, but face likely presidential veto
Lawmakers backed limited changes to the near-total 2021 ban as a separate bill to legalize abortion on request up to 12 weeks advances in committees.
- On Tuesday, Poland's lower house of parliament voted to allow abortion in cases of fetal abnormalities and decriminalize providing assistance in obtaining abortions, seeking to reverse a near-total ban introduced by the previous government.
- Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, implemented a near-total abortion ban in 2021 following a constitutional court ruling, sparking widespread protests across the nation.
- President Karol Nawrocki has signaled he would block any liberalization of the law, making the legislation almost certain to face a presidential veto.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European coalition won the 2023 election pledging to ease restrictions, while separate draft legislation legalizing abortion on request up to 12 weeks remains under consideration in parliamentary committees.
- Leah Hoctor, Vice President for Europe at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told Reuters that these measures represent limited, small-scale reform that would not improve the situation for most women in Poland needing care.
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The Polish parliament has backed easing strict abortion laws, but key changes could be blocked by a veto from the president, who opposes them.
Reformatorisch Dagblad
As a result, assisting with an abortion is no longer a criminal offense, and abortion is possible in cases of fetal abnormalities. However, the president will likely block the relaxation.
In this traditionally Catholic country, abortion is permitted only in two circumstances: when pregnancy results from a criminal act – such as rape or incest – or when it endangers the life or health of the mother.
The Sejm's elected representatives have validated these texts supported by Donald Tusk's centrist government, which partially decriminalize aid for the voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) and restore access to it in the event of serious malformations of the foetus. "The state trusts its fellow citizens. Today, the fact that a woman is performing an abortion herself is not punished. It is time to put an end to the punishment of all those who…
<p>Polish lawmakers have supported easing the abortion ban - whether they are threatened by a presidential veto Poland's Lower House has supported abortion due to fetal defects and decriminalization of aid. The president is likely to block the bill.</p>
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