A ray of hope for women's rights has been lit in Poland. On Wednesday, January 24, a bill legalizing abortion was introduced in Poland's lower house. Earlier in the day, the government had promised to submit to the same institution a bill making the morning-after pill available without a prescription.
At the moment, a woman in Poland can only terminate her pregnancy in the event of rape, incest or danger to her health or life. Until 2021, this right also included abortions in cases of serious and irreversible fetal malformation. However, the conservative nationalist PIS (Law and Justice Party), which was in power between 2015 and 2023, made this option obsolete.
The bill introduced on Wednesday evening by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's political group, the Civic Coalition (KO), would legalize abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and even beyond in cases of serious fetal malformation, pregnancy resulting from rape or threat to the pregnant woman's health.
This is the second bill liberalizing abortion to reach the lower house since its renewal in the parliamentary elections of October 15, 2023. These elections brought a pro-European coalition to the head of government. Two months ago, MPs from Lewica (New Left) had submitted a similar proposal, supplemented by a second bill involving the decriminalization of third parties helping women to have an abortion. That was the reason why pro-choice activist Justyna Wydrznyska was sentenced to community service in March 2023, having been found guilty in the first instance of sending abortion pills to a Polish woman in distress.
"Since the elections in autumn 2023, some hospitals have been less reluctant to perform abortions. The atmosphere has changed, and doctors no longer have as much pressure hanging over them," remarked Mateusz Biezunski, head of advocacy at FEDERA, the Polish Foundation for Women and Family Planning. This law expert describes KO's bill as "a step forward," although he stresses the importance of adding decriminalization to it. "Women who call us on the phone don't trust the medical profession, so they need to be protected even in the event of an abortion performed outside the legal framework," he pointed out.
Numerous polls conducted since the tightening of abortion rights indicate that a majority of Poles want abortion legalized. Ipsos revealed in December 2023 that 57% of those questioned were in favor of an abortion without specifying the reason up to the 12th week of pregnancy. For left-wing MP Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic, there is no doubt that Polish society has passed "a point of no return, which also manifested itself during the autumn election, when the turnout among women and young people was unprecedented. The political leaders of the ruling coalition are well aware that they owe their victory to them."
You have 40% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.