Partial abortion liberalization in Poland

On October 20, Poland's lower house of parliament, the Sejm, passed two votes that partially liberalized the right to abortion, though the changes did not grant full and unrestricted access to abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, a 2023 election promise that has not been fulfilled.

Current legal restrictions on abortion

Currently, a woman can legally request to end her pregnancy only in cases of rape, incest, or danger to her health. Pro-choice protesters marched in the streets of twenty-seven cities across Poland on the evening of October 22, showing a "red card" to the government. One sign held near the Parliament in Warsaw read, "The abortion ban kills women," according to a photograph by the news site Onet.

Anniversary of a controversial ruling

The protests were intended to mark the sixth anniversary of the Constitutional Tribunal's 2021 ruling, which removed the right to voluntary interruption of pregnancy in cases of serious fetal malformations. On October 20, Polish deputies legislated for the first time since July 2024 on the issue, adopting a partial decriminalization of abortion assistance and reinstating the right to abortion in cases of serious fetal malformations.

Challenges to passing the legislation

Three votes had been missing at that time, including within the ranks of the Civic Coalition, the party of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, to decriminalize abortion assistance. The weekly Polityka noted that during the parliamentary debate, "the chamber was almost empty" before the "unenthusiastic" adoption of this "advance."

Uncertainty about the president's stance

An opinion shared by Oko.press, which in another article writes that "nothing or almost nothing suggests" that the president, Karol Nawrocki (a nationalist), opposed to the legalization of abortion, will sign these two texts, which must now be presented to the Senate.

Continued risks for medical professionals

The collective Abortion Without Borders (ABG), whose Onet also reports, goes so far as to mention "shameful" legislative projects. Its activists allow Polish women to access abortive pills through solidarity networks, including in a room located in front of the Parliament (as the law does not criminalize a woman who performs her own abortion). "When examinations reveal fetal abnormalities, women do not consult the doctor," but turn to ABG and other feminist associations, notes Polityka. The two new laws adopted do not actually remove "the sanctions provided for doctors performing abortions for non-legal reasons," warns the title.

Disappointment among activists

Monika, met by Oko.press during the pro-choice demonstration in Gdansk, does not hide her disappointment. She had mobilized in 2023, during the election campaign of Donald Tusk and his allies. "At that time, I really believed we would become a normal country, where a young woman would no longer have to be afraid. And then we were completely left out," she testifies.