Tusk faces a big fight overturning Poland’s abortion ban

The prime minister says easing Poland’s near-total abortion ban is a priority, but he’s facing stiff opposition from within.

FEBRUARY 9, 2024
BY WOJCIECH KOŚĆ

WARSAW — Poland’s new government won power thanks to the votes of millions of women, but it's now split over an issue that garnered their support — easing abortion rules.

The far-right nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government ruled from 2015 until last October and, in alliance with the Roman Catholic Church, espoused toughening Poland's already very restrictive abortion rules.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-tusk-faces-big-fight-overturning-abortion-ban/

In Poland, I Saw What a Second Trump Term Could Do to America

by Michelle Goldberg
Photographs by Rafal Milach
Feb. 6, 2024

Adam Bodnar, Poland’s new justice minister, recently explained to me the immense challenge of rebuilding liberal democracy in his country after an eight-year slide toward authoritarianism. Imagine, he said, that Donald Trump had won the last election and been in power for two terms instead of one. “What would be the damage?” he asked.

After only four years of Trump, President Biden inherited a furiously divided nation, its courts seeded with right-wing apparatchiks and the nature of reality itself in deep dispute. But as even MAGA die-hards will acknowledge, Trump often failed to bend the state to his will, which is why his allies have a plan to do things differently next time, purging civil servants and replacing them with loyalists. Poland is a country that has just gone through something like what Trumpists hope to impose on us in a second term. Its institutions have been hollowed out. Many experienced technocrats and neutral judges have been replaced by lackeys and ideologues.

Continue: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/opinion/abortion-ban-poland-democracy.html

Polish court throws out $16 fine for swearing at anti-abortion protest

PAUL WALDIE, EUROPE CORRESPONDENT
February 5, 2024

It has taken three years, two guilty verdicts and a lot of frayed nerves, but a Polish court has finally thrown out the $16 fine Julia Landowska received for swearing during an anti-government rally in Gdansk.

Ms. Landowska, a 23-year-old medical student, was charged by the police in 2021 after she took part in a demonstration against new restrictions on abortion. At the time, women across Poland were protesting a decision by the country’s Constitutional Court that banned access to abortion in all circumstances except cases of sexual assault, incest or if the mother’s life or health were at risk.

Continued: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-poland-abortion-protester-fine/

05.02.2024

News

Donald Tusk

European Convention on Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

Julia Landowska

Law and Justice party

Michal Romanowski

Poland Constitutional Tribunal

Half of public support Tusk’s aim to introduce abortion on demand in Poland, find polls

FEB 2, 2024
Notes from Poland

Two new polls have found that around half of the public support the proposals recently put forward by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition (KO) and one of its coalition partners, The Left (Lewica), to introduce abortion on demand.

A poll by the IBRiS agency for broadcaster Radio Zet published on Wednesday asked respondents whether abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy should be allowed in any circumstances and without providing a reason.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/02/02/half-of-public-support-tusks-aim-to-introduce-abortion-on-demand-in-poland-find-polls/

02.02.2024

Law and Justice party

Mateusz Morawiecki

Poland Constitutional Tribunal

public support for abortion

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/

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