Until the twelfth week
Poland wants to liberalize abortion rights
January 24, 2024, 5:42 p.m
The right to abortion is more restrictive in Poland than almost anywhere else in Europe. Polish Prime Minister Tusk and his government now want to change that. Access to the morning-after pill should also be simplified. There are likely to be heated debates in Parliament.
Poland’s new government wants to liberalize the country’s restrictive abortion law. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government would introduce a “bill for legal and safe abortions up to the twelfth week of pregnancy” into parliament. He also announced a bill to make the morning-after pill much easier to access.
Polish abortion law is so far more restrictive than almost anywhere else in Europe. Abortions are only permitted in cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger.
The right-wing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which ruled from 2015 until Tusk took office in December, had also introduced a prescription requirement for the morning-after pill and ended state financial support for artificial insemination as part of its conservative family policy.
Polish president is anti-abortion
The left-liberal and pro-European camp had already promised during the election campaign to liberalize abortion rights. After their election victory in October, Tusk and his coalition partners included the planned reform in their coalition agreement.
The bill to legalize abortion rights now provides for the right to an abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, as Tusk announced. According to him, the bill for easier access to the morning-after pill provides for over-the-counter access to the drug to prevent unwanted pregnancy from the age of 15.
It is not yet clear when Parliament will vote on the draft laws. Heated debates are expected. If the bills are passed, Poland’s conservative President Andrzej Duda will still have to bring the new laws into force. He is close to the PiS party and is known as an opponent of abortion.