On Friday, April 12, 2024, Polish lawmakers voted to continue work on proposals to lift a near total ban on abortion.
Members of the lower house of parliament, the Sejm, voted to work on four bills.
The Sejm also created a 27-member commission to work on the four bills. They voted for the commission to be led by Dorota Łoboda, a lawmaker who was formerly an activist with a women’s rights group.
Abortion is a divisive issue in the traditionally Roman Catholic country, which has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.
Under the country’s existing laws, abortion is legal only in cases of rape, incest or a danger to a woman’s health or life.
In recent years, authorities in Poland have come under increasing pressure over abortion laws after multiple women with pregnancy complications have died after they were refused abortions.
The Women’s Strike, a Polish organization, noted that Friday was the first time since 1996 that bills liberalizing legal access to abortion in Poland were not dropped in a primary vote.
Two of the four bills propose legalising abortion through the 12th week of pregnancy in line with European norms.
One proposes decriminalising giving assistance to a woman who terminates a pregnancy, currently a crime punishable by three years in prison.
The fourth plan would keep a ban in most cases but allow abortions in cases of fetal defects, a right that was eliminated by a 2020 court ruling.
Liberalising access to abortion has been a central campaign promise of Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, who emerged victorious in elections in October that saw a high turnout partly due to women’s rights issues.
“We keep our word! The parliament will proceed with all projects on the right to abortion,” Tusk said on social media after Friday’s vote.
As he welcomed Friday’s votes as a move in the right direction, Tusk said that he believed Poland still probably has a long way to go to liberalize the law.
He added that he believes the country would ultimately end up with a law that gives women the feeling that they are not “an object of attack, contempt or disregard.”
The four bills will now be debated by the special parliamentary commission.
Significant Step Towards Access To Abortion
Reacting to the news, Miko Czerwinski, the head of campaigns at Amnesty International Poland, said, “By approving these four amendments, Poland’s parliament has taken a significant step towards ending Poland’s cruel and draconian restrictions on access to abortion, which have had a devastating impact on the lives and health of so many people.”
“As these amendments go through to the next voting stage, it is crucial that politicians listen to the voices of civil society and those people directly affected by the near total ban on abortion and bring the law into compliance with international human rights standards.”
Miko Czerwinski
Several lawmakers in the country were among those who celebrated the outcome.
“Today is a very happy day for Polish women!” Małgorzata Tracz of the Greens said on social media, while Krystyna Szumilas of Tusk’s Civic Coalition described the vote as a “step towards ensuring women’s safety.”
It is not clear how long the work by the special parliamentary commission may take, but some lawmakers have suggested it could be until a new President is elected next year.
Even if parliament approves the reforms, President Andrzej Duda, a conservative Catholic ally of the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, is unlikely to sign them into law.
Last month, he used his veto to kill legislation that would have provided prescription-free emergency contraception to girls and women aged 15 and over.
Moreover, the coalition government, comprising Tusk’s Civic Coalition and its junior partners; Third Way and Left, does not have the required three-fifths majority to overturn a presidential veto.
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