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

Nearly half of Polish women voted for Karol Nawrocki, dashing hopes for abortion reform

Activists are disillusioned by the new president’s plan to stop liberalisation.

Aleksandra Krzysztoszek, Euractiv Poland
Jun 10, 2025

The election of conservative firebrand Karol Nawrocki as Poland's president is slamming the brakes on plans to legislate for legal abortion, leaving reproductive rights activists disillusioned and looking abroad once more.

Throughout the election campaign, Nawrocki left little doubt about his stance on abortion, pledging not to sign a proposed law by Donald Tusk's centrist coalition that would restore the so-called abortion compromise which would legalise abortion in cases of rape, severe fetal abnormalities, or threat to the mother’s life.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/nearly-half-of-polish-women-voted-for-karol-nawrocki-dashing-hopes-for-abortion-reform/

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

‘Sculpting within the law’: Where does Poland stand on abortion?

Ada Petriczko
May 12, 2025

WARSAW - Two years after Donald Tusk became Poland's prime minister and promised to reform strict abortion rules, many of the women who supported him are disillusioned and say a May 18 presidential vote is unlikely to bring the change they were promised.

This is despite the fact that a liberal candidate could replace conservative President Andrzej Duda, who has long opposed easing some of Europe's strictest abortion laws.

"I'm still shocked that they reached for our votes when they needed them, and then completely discarded us," said activist Anna Pięta, who helped create a viral campaign that urged women to vote in 2023.

Continued: https://www.context.news/money-power-people/polish-presidential-vote-unlikely-to-resolve-abortion-impasse

Polish presidential frontrunner pledges to sign bills on contraception, Silesian and constitutional court

Mar 15, 2025
Notes from Poland

Rafał Trzaskowski, the presidential candidate of Poland’s main ruling party, says that, if he wins the election, the first bills he would want to sign would be to allow prescription-free access to the morning-after pill, recognise Silesian as a regional language, and overhaul the constitutional court.

Those bills have been blocked by current President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. Trzaskowski says that he also wants to sign “as soon as possible” a bill liberalising the abortion law, though the ruling coalition has not yet managed to pass one.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/03/15/polish-presidential-frontrunner-pledges-to-sign-bills-on-contraception-silesian-and-constitutional-court/

15.03.2025

News

Andrzej Duda

Donald Tusk

emergency contraception

Law and Justice party

Polish opposition presidential candidate “can’t currently see Ukraine in NATO” and opposes ending abortion ban

Jan 9, 2025
Notes from Poland

The presidential candidate supported by Poland’s main conservative opposition party has said that he currently “does not envision Ukraine in the EU or NATO”. He also pledged to veto any attempts by the government to end the current near-total ban on abortion or to introduce same-sex civil partnerships.

Karol Nawrocki’s remarks have prompted criticism from the prime minister, Donald Tusk, who says the opposition should be “ashamed” of his views on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Tusk’s candidate for the presidency, has described Nawrocki’s views on abortion as “medieval”.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/01/09/opposition-presidential-candidate-cant-currently-envision-ukraine-in-nato-and-opposes-ending-abortion-ban/

09.01.2025

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