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Polish Parliament Passes Bills to Ease Abortion Laws Amid Protests
Reported by Manish Reddy (Senior Writer) · The Hindu - International ·
Reported by one source so far
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsHundreds of women gathered outside the Polish Parliament in Warsaw on Thursday, braving heavy rain to demand access to free and legal abortion. Demonstrations spread across more than 20 cities in Poland as protesters raised pro-choice slogans to show their anger at Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Protesters accused him of failing to deliver on his promise to liberalise strict abortion laws.
Parliamentary Action
The protests came two days after the lower house, the Sejm, passed two bills seeking to ease the country's restrictive abortion rules. The first bill seeks to partially decriminalise abortion by removing criminal penalties for terminating a pregnancy with a woman's consent outside current legal grounds, and for helping or encouraging such an abortion. It also proposes protections from criminal liability for doctors, nurses and midwives who terminate a pregnancy to avert a threat to a woman's life or health, or due to severe and irreversible foetal abnormalities. The second bill seeks to restore abortion as a legal option when doctors identify a severe and irreversible foetal abnormality, reversing a 2020 Constitutional Tribunal ruling that established a near-total ban.
Political Obstacles
The passage of these measures into law remains uncertain, with President Karol Nawrocki expected to veto them. When Mr. Tusk's coalition came to power in December 2023, replacing the Law and Justice government, it pledged to liberalise abortion laws. However, disagreements between conservative and liberal factions stalled reform efforts. Protesters have dismissed the new measures as token gestures ahead of parliamentary elections.
Context
Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, allowing terminations only when a pregnancy threatens a woman's life or health, or results from rape or incest. Abortion laws vary widely across the European Union, with nations like France, Sweden, and Spain permitting abortion on request during early pregnancy while others maintain strict bans.
ExplainerWhy this matters
What Happened
Poland's lower house of parliament passed two bills aimed at easing strict abortion limits, coming years after a 2020 court ruling created a near-total ban on the procedure except for cases involving rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life.
Why It Matters
Reproductive rights remain a deeply divisive political and social issue in Catholic Poland. The current legislative push highlights tensions between public demands for liberalisation and conservative political resistance, especially with presidential veto powers and upcoming elections on the horizon.
What Happens Next
The proposed bills face further legislative hurdles and an expected presidential veto by President Karol Nawrocki, meaning true legal reform remains uncertain as the country approaches the next parliamentary election.
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