Poland: is abortion law reform imminent?

Last October’s defeat ended the nationalist Law and Justice Party’s eight years in power and makes it possible to restore the right to abortion that Polish women have long campaigned for.

by Malgo Nieziolek, Le Monde diplomatique
February 1, 2024

Donald Tusk told a campaign rally in Gliwice (Silesia) last September, ‘Restoring Polish women’s dignity and guaranteeing their safety are at the heart of our programme.’ At the time, abortion remained almost completely banned in Poland. Tusk, who became prime minister in December, promised to establish free access to voluntary terminations of pregnancy up to the 12th week and to do away with the conscience clause for doctors in the public health system, meaning they will no longer be able to refuse to perform this procedure.

Tusk, also prime minister from 2007 to 2014, had nonetheless told the 2013 Women’s Congress in Warsaw he opposed the liberalisation of the ‘compromise’, one of Europe’s most restrictive pieces of abortion legislation, introduced in 1993 to satisfy the all-powerful Catholic Church and further toughened by the ultraconservative Law and Justice Party (PiS), which ran the country from 2015. Since then, feminist protests had shaken the country, but failed to bring legislative progress.

Continued: https://mondediplo.com/2024/02/10poland

01.02.2024

Law and Justice party

Poland shows the difficulties of trying to reverse an abortion ban

By Kate Brady and Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post
January 27, 2024

PRENZLAU, Germany — Only 30 miles separate the two clinics where gynecologist Maria Kubisa works, but what’s legal at her clinic on this side of the border would be criminal at the clinic back in Poland.

So women have been crossing over to seek help from Kubisa on this side, especially in the past three years, since a Polish court backed by a ring-wing government imposed a near-ban on abortion.

Unlocked: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/27/poland-abortion-12-weeks-donald-tusk/

Polish ruling parties divided over abortion law

By Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl
Jan 25, 2024

Poland’s ruling parties have presented separate bills to liberalise the country’s abortion laws, proposing to make abortion legal up to the 12th week of pregnancy, but some MPs remain sceptical.

Liberalising the abortion law was a promise made by some opposition parties during last year’s election campaign. However, once the parties were united in Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, they found it difficult to forge a common position.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/polish-ruling-parties-divided-over-abortion-law/

25.01.2024

Bill to introduce abortion on demand in Poland submitted by PM Tusk’s political group

JAN 25, 2024
Notes from Poland

Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition (KO) group has submitted a bill to parliament that would introduce abortion on demand up to the 12th week of pregnancy.

If passed, the legislation would not only reverse the near-total abortion ban introduced under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government but would create a more liberal abortion law than existed previously.

However, Tusk has admitted that his more conservative junior coalition partners are not supportive of the bill.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/01/25/bill-to-introduce-abortion-on-demand-in-poland-submitted-by-pm-tusks-political-group/

25.01.2024

Law and Justice party

Marek Sawicki

Poland 2050

Poland Constitutional Tribunal

Poland’s new government to propose legislation easing near-total abortion ban

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday his government will propose legislation to liberalise a near-total abortion ban and ease restrictions on the morning-after pill, which would dramatically reverse the previous administration’s policies.

24/01/2024

Both bills face an uphill battle. It is unclear if they will garner enough support to pass in parliament. Even if they do, the laws could still be vetoed by the conservative president allied with right-wing populists.

Poland saw a rollback of women’s reproductive rights during the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party’s eight-year rule, targeting access to abortion as well as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and emergency contraception.

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240124-poland-new-government-legislation-easing-abortion-ban

24.01.2024

Law and Justice party

Tusk pledges bill introducing “legal and safe abortion” in Poland

JAN 15, 2024
Notes from Poland

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has pledged that his centrist Civic Coalition (KO) political grouping will submit a bill to liberalise the abortion law. He admitted, however, that it remains uncertain if he can gather enough support from his more conservative coalition partners to pass the measure.

“Civic Coalition will submit a bill that gives the right to safe abortion up to the 12th week [of pregnancy] with certain conditions,” said Tusk in an interview on Friday with Poland’s largest three television stations, TVP, Polsat and TVN.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/01/15/tusk-pledges-bill-introducing-legal-and-safe-abortion-in-poland/

15.01.2024

News

Civic Coalition

Donald Tusk

Law and Justice party

Poland Constitutional Tribunal

President pardons state TV hosts convicted for defaming abortion and LGBT activist

JAN 12, 2024
Notes from Poland

President Andrzej Duda has issued pardons to two stars of state TV under the former conservative government who were found guilty of criminal defamation against a prominent activist for abortion and LGBT rights.

The pardons of Magdalena Ogórek and Rafał Ziemkiewicz were issued before Christmas but not announced by the president’s office. Following media reports earlier this week, a court has now confirmed that the pair have been pardoned.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/01/12/president-pardons-state-tv-hosts-convicted-for-defaming-abortion-and-lgbt-activist/

12.01.2024

Law and Justice party

Poland – How to Maneuver Around Acknowledging the Right to Access Abortion

Some Thoughts on the ECtHR’s judgment in M.L. v Poland

Written by Sissy Katsoni
January 11, 2024

On 14 December 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR, Court) issued its much-awaited judgment in M.L. v Poland, i.e. in one of the approximately 1000 applications submitted before it regarding the Polish restrictive abortion policy. The application concerned the alleged violation of the applicant’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as she had to travel abroad to a private clinic to terminate her pregnancy despite carrying a foetus that was diagnosed with Trisomy 21. This barrier was a result of the legislative amendments that were introduced by the Polish Constitutional Court’s judgment of 22 October 2020, which effectively banned access to abortion even in cases of foetal abnormalities. This blog post seeks to highlight the shortcomings of the judgment against the background of other human rights bodies’ jurisprudence, and to criticise the Court’s manoeuvring around the explicit acknowledgement and stronger protection of abortion rights under the ECHR.

Continued: https://www.ejiltalk.org/how-to-maneuver-around-acknowledging-the-right-to-access-abortion-some-thoughts-on-the-ecthrs-judgment-in-m-l-v-poland/

I hadn’t broken Poland’s abortion laws – so why did the police raid my flat?

Artist was humiliated by the authorities and lambasted by the press after terminating a pregnancy, but refuses to be silenced

As told to Weronika Strzyżyńska
Wed 27 Dec 2023

In May, I made the decision to take abortion pills to end a pregnancy. I wasn’t scared. I’ve been involved in LGBTQ+ and pro-choice activism in Poland for years, I know my rights and knew I wasn’t breaking the law. Though Poland’s abortion law is strict, terminating your own pregnancy is not illegal. So, like thousands of Polish women every year, I ordered the medication online from Women Help Women, a secure source abroad.

One night, two weeks after I’d taken the pills, I was at home when suddenly there was a loud banging on my front door and shouts of “police!”.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/27/poland-abortion-laws-pani-joanna-activist

Majority of Poles support legal abortion – poll

The First News
DECEMBER 18, 2023

Legal access to abortion without the need to state a reason is supported by 57 percent of the Polish public, a new poll has revealed.

The survey, conducted by the IPSOS pollster for the More in Common Poland social initiative, aimed at studying factors that polarise society, also showed that of those that support the general availability of abortion, 38 percent would like it to be possible up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and 19 percent up to the 24th week.

Continued: https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/majority-of-poles-support-legal-abortion---poll-43310

18.12.2023

Law and Justice party