Activists opened pop-up abortion clinic outside Polish parliament. Opponents threw acid at it

by Petra Dvořáková, Prague
June 20, 2025

Donald Tusk's Polish government has not yet pushed through abortion law reform. In the meantime, opposite the parliament building, feminists have opened an abortion 'clinic', where they face harassment and bullying by anti-abortion activists several times a week — with no protection from the Polish authorities.

“What can I tell you?” shrugs Nikola, a bearded Netflix employee from Bulgaria, when I ask him how he perceives the current political situation. “The whole of Europe is heading towards fascism!” “I’m constantly angry,” adds his Polish partner Anna, who is looking at sweatshirts on a rack next to the window.

Continued: https://euobserver.com/health-and-society/ar6eb25e24

Polish election: Tusk party urged to show it is not ‘deceiving women’ on abortion

Five years after near-total ban on abortion, campaigners say Sunday’s elections will be critical to see if promised change happens

Ashifa Kassam, European community affairs correspondent
Thu 15 May 2025

Poland’s presidential elections are a “historic, groundbreaking” chance for Donald Tusk’s centrist party to show it was not trying to “deceive women” when it promised to change some of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws, campaigners have said.

Voters across Poland will head to the polls on Sunday in the first round of the elections to replace Andrzej Duda, the current president who is aligned with the former rightwing government and has veto power over legislation.

Polls have suggested the frontrunner is Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw, whose centrist Civic Coalition led by the prime minister, Donald Tusk, has promised to relax abortion laws. But in recent weeks his lead has narrowed and support has climbed for Karol Nawrocki of the populist, anti-abortion Law and Justice (PiS) party, suggesting the two could be pitted against each other in a runoff vote on 1 June.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/15/poland-elections-tusk-centrists-abortion-laws-campaign-europe

‘There’s no other solution’: Polish abortion centre opens in challenge to strict laws

Frustrated by government’s failure to ease rules, an NGO is opening a centre a stone’s throw from parliament in Warsaw

Ashifa Kassam
Fri 7 Mar 2025

They poured on to streets across Poland in their hundreds of thousands, carrying placards reading “The revolution has a uterus” and “My body, my choice”. In late 2023 they helped vote in a prime minister who promised a swift overhaul of the country’s draconian abortion laws.

Now, after more than a year of stalled promises, Polish abortion campaigners are taking matters into their own hands, setting up a pregnancy termination centre on one of the country’s corridors of power.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/07/polish-abortion-centre-opens-strict-laws-warsaw

After one year of new government, anger in Poland over broken abortion promises

Dec 13, 2024
By Alicja Ptak and Christiaan Paauwe, Notes from Poland

Poland’s government came to power last year on a pledge to end the country’s near-total abortion ban. But one year after taking office, that promise remains unfulfilled, leaving many women disillusioned and doubtful of politicians’ commitment to changing the law.

Katarzyna had hoped that Poland’s 2023 parliamentary elections would usher in change. Opposition leader Donald Tusk had promised to end Poland’s near-total abortion ban and introduce abortion on demand within his first 100 days of office. He called women’s rights the “number one issue”.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/12/13/after-one-year-of-new-government-anger-in-poland-over-broken-abortion-promises/

Polish ruling party’s presidential candidate outlines aims on abortion, defence and economy

Dec 9, 2024
Notes from Poland

The presidential candidate of Poland’s main ruling party, Rafał Trzaskowski, has outlined the priorities for his campaign, including ending the near-total abortion ban, increasing defence spending, and tackling inflation.

Speaking at a convention of the centrist Civic Coalition (KO) – at which he was introduced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk – Trzaskowski asked Poles to imagine how the country might look today if he had won the 2020 presidential elections, when he was narrowly defeated by Andrzej Duda, the conservative incumbent.

“There would be no embarrassment on the international stage, huge inflation, destruction of Polish schools, medieval anti-abortion law,” said Trzaskowski. “We will not allow that, women must decide about their lives and health.”

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/12/09/polish-ruling-partys-presidential-candidate-outlines-aims-on-abortion-defence-and-economy/

09.12.2024

Law and Justice party

Polish Constitutional Tribunal

Tusk admits Polish abortion law liberalisation unlikely this parliamentary term

Aug 26, 2024
Notes from Poland

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has admitted that there will not be a majority for the liberalisation of Poland’s abortion law during the current parliamentary term – that is, until at least 2027.

Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO) – the largest group in the ruling coalition, whose members range from the left to centre right – came to power on a promise to, among others, end Poland’s near-total abortion ban introduced in 2021 under the former national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government.

The task, however, has proven to be more difficult than initially thought, as there is no consensus within the ruling coalition on how a new abortion law in Poland should look.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/08/26/tusk-admits-polish-abortion-law-liberalisation-unlikely-this-parliamentary-term/

26.08.2024

News

Campus Polska Przyszłości

Poland’s Tusk sacks no-show MPs after abortion bill defeat

Deputy minister and caucus vice-chair get the boot for not voting in tight ballot to ease abortion rules.

JULY 23, 2024
BY CSONGOR KÖRÖMI

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk fired his deputy minister of development and technology on Tuesday after losing by three votes in a bid to ease the country’s strict abortion laws.

Waldemar Sługocki, a member of Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO), was among those who didn’t take part in the vote — pleading a long-planned trip to the United States. Tusk made clear his dismissal was intended as a punishment.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-prime-minister-donald-tusk-waldemar-slugocki-fired-abortion-laws-civic-coalition/

23.07.2024

Poland – Tusk government faces first crisis after abortion and court setbacks

Two embarrassing blows in the space of less than a week have left Donald Tusk’s government facing its first serious crisis, raising questions over the unity and competence of the ruling coalition.

JUL 18, 2024
By Daniel Tilles, Notes from Poland

When Donald Tusk’s coalition came to power late last year, two of its key promises were to soften Poland’s strict abortion laws and to restore the rule of law, including by holding to account figures from the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) administration for their alleged crimes.

But fulfilling these aims has proven much harder in practice, as two setbacks over the past week have demonstrated.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/07/18/tusk-government-faces-first-crisis-after-abortion-and-court-setbacks-opinion/

18.07.2024

Law and Justice party

Polish People’s Party

Polish lawmakers reject easing restrictive abortion laws

This week, conservative President Andrzej Duda warned that he would veto any bill widening abortion access, even if it is passed by legislators.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
July 12, 2024

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — Polish lawmakers on Friday rejected a bill that would have decriminalized the act of facilitating abortions in a blow for reproductive rights and the country's new liberal government.

The draft law, seen as a precursor to easing traditionally Catholic Poland's almost total ban on abortions, was rejected by 218 legislators against and 215 in favor.

Continued: https://www.courthousenews.com/polish-lawmakers-reject-easing-restrictive-abortion-laws/

Almost half of government voters disappointed with failure to liberalise abortion law

JUN 20, 2024
Notes from Poland

Almost half of those who voted for Poland’s ruling coalition are disappointed that it has not yet followed through on its promise to liberalise the country’s abortion law. Meanwhile, over half of young Poles – who voted in record numbers last year – say they are disappointed.

The findings come from a new poll conducted by Ipsos for news outlets OKO.press and TOK FM. They asked respondents how they feel about the fact that, since forming a government in December, the ruling coalition has not changed the abortion law.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/06/20/almost-half-of-government-voters-disappointed-with-failure-to-liberalise-abortion-law/

20.06.2024