Poland’s far-right amplifies abortion wars ahead of election

by Barbara Wolk
April 28, 2025

Poland’s abortion debate has once again taken a dangerous turn — this time sparked by far-right MEP Grzegorz Braun, who stormed a Polish hospital to attempt a citizen’s arrest of a doctor performing a medically-indicated late-term abortion. Braun, a presidential hopeful from the extreme-right in the upcoming May elections, accused the doctor of committing “murder,” live-streaming his political stunt to rally his conservative base.

Currently, abortion is only legal in Poland in two circumstances: if the pregnancy is the result of rape (up to 12 weeks), or if the pregnancy poses a threat to the woman's life or health. The third legal reason — severe fetal abnormalities — was abolished in 2020 when the Law and Justice (PiS)-controlled constitutional tribunal ruled it unconstitutional, effectively reducing the number of abortions performed in hospitals by 90 percent. Since then, abortion has become not just a medical issue, but a political weapon of the far-right — used to polarise, control, and distract.

Continued: https://euobserver.com/eu-political/ard15429ac

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/

A year after Tusk came to power, why is access to safe and legal abortion still a distant dream in Poland?

A year ago, Anna Błuś travelled home to her native Poland to vote in an election whose result she hoped would usher in a change to the country’s near total ban on abortion. What went wrong?

By Anna Błuś, Amnesty International
October 15, 2024

Exactly a year ago on the eve of Poland’s elections, I joined a huge queue snaking around a polling station in Warsaw on a cold autumn day. Despite the chill and the hours spent waiting to vote, the atmosphere was festive. There was a mood of anticipation in the air: a palpable sense that change was coming after eight years of regressive rule by the Law and Justice (PiS) party.

As I watched the exit polls in a packed bar later that night, it became clear that this had been an election like no other with a record turnout (74%) and unprecedented numbers of women and young people coming out to vote.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/10/a-year-after-tusk-came-to-power-why-is-access-to-safe-and-legal-abortion-still-a-distant-dream-in-poland/

Poland – How much will the abortion issue damage the Tusk government?

Aug 16, 2024
By Aleks Szczerbiak, Notes from Poland

The Polish governing coalition’s defeat in last month’s vote to decriminalise aiding abortions was a wasted opportunity to demonstrate its effectiveness on a highly contentious but symbolically important issue.

It contributed to a growing sense that the coalition came together solely to defeat its right-wing predecessor and contains a wide, often incompatible, range of views, especially on moral-cultural issues.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/08/16/how-much-will-the-abortion-issue-damage-the-tusk-government/

16.08.2024

Commentary

Civic Platform party

Donald Tusk

Law and Justice party

New Left party

Poland 2050 party

Polish Constitutional Tribunal

Polish People’s Party

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

PM Donald Tusk faces uphill battle on reforming Polish abortion rights

Polish lawmakers voted Friday to advance bills that would lift a near-total ban on abortion in place since 2020, reviving an extremely polarising debate in the traditionally Roman Catholic country. But by launching an effort to liberalise abortion laws, Prime Minister Donald Tusk is moving to fulfil a campaign promise.

April 12, 2024
By: Sonya CIESNIK

Members of the Sejm (lower house) voted to advance four separate abortion bills on Friday that would help bring Polish law into line with widespread European standards.

Two of the bills would guarantee access to abortion through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, including the one introduced by Tusk’s Civic Platform party. A third proposes decriminalising offering assistance to a woman in terminating a pregnancy, currently punishable by three years in prison, while a fourth, stricter bill would keep the ban in place but allow abortion in cases of severe foetal defects.

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240412-pm-donald-tusk-faces-uphill-battle-reforming-polish-abortion-rights-poland

Will Poland have a referendum on its abortion law, and what might the outcome be?

APR 3, 2023
By Daniel Tilles

Why is this an issue?

Since January 2021, Poland has had a near-total ban on abortion following an October 2020 ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal (TK) that outlawed the most common form of legal abortion.

Previously, Poland had already had one of Europe’s strictest abortion laws, with terminations allowed in only three circumstances: if the pregnancy threatened the mother’s life or health, if it resulted from a criminal act (such as rape), or if the foetus was diagnosed with a serious birth defect.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/04/03/will-poland-have-a-referendum-on-its-abortion-law-and-what-might-the-outcome-be/

Abortion referendum would have no legal impact – gov’t spokesman

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

A referendum on the right to abortion would not have any legal implications, a spokesman for the Polish government said on Tuesday.

Speaking to TVP1, a public television channel, Piotr Mueller said that a "classic referendum," as described in the constitution, "would not have any binding force because it would not change the constitution."

Continued: https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/abortion-referendum-would-have-no-legal-impact---govt-spokesman-17838

24.11.2020

Poland Constitutional Tribunal

Polish People’s Party

pro-choice protests

total abortion ban

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz

Poland’s election features a confident right-wing ruling party despite abortion, LGBT debates

Poland's election features a confident right-wing ruling party despite abortion, LGBT debates
Political opposition is fractured, while strong church influence dominates campaign

Sarah Lawrynuik · CBC News
Posted: Oct 06, 2019

Poles will cast their ballots in the national parliamentary election next Sunday, and the world is watching to see if they will deliver another decisive victory for the populist, right-wing Law and Justice Party.

Law and Justice formed Poland's first outright majority government in 2015 since the fall of communism. In the ensuing years, Poland has been seen to be following in the political footsteps of fellow-EU member state Hungary, in a turn toward conservative policies, control of the media and breaking down some of the country's checks and balances on power.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/poland-election-law-and-justice-1.5310006