Poland’s Abortion Reform Stalls as Coalition Politics Clash with Campaign Promises

Aug 12, 2024
Zuzanna Stawiska, Health Policy Watch

Nearly a year after new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised a fresh start for abortion rights, following his election victory in October 2023, reform efforts have stalled as campaign promises collide with the realities of coalition politics in a divided Poland.

Poland is amongst only four countries worldwide to have restricted abortion rights in the past three decades, joining El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the United States. In 2020, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, stacked with judges appointed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, further tightened the country’s already strict 1993 abortion law.

Continued: https://healthpolicy-watch.news/polands-abortion-reform-stalls-as-coalition-politics-clash-with-campaign-promises/

Polish Supreme Court acquits politician of offending religious feelings in church abortion protest

Aug 2, 2024
Notes from Poland

Poland’s Supreme Court has thrown out a case against a deputy government minister launched almost three years ago, when she was an opposition politician, over a protest she held in a church against the introduction of a near-total abortion ban.

She was accused of offending religious feelings and maliciously interfering with the public performance of a religious act, both crimes in Poland that each carry prison sentences of up to two years.

The politician in question, deputy culture minister Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, celebrated the end of the long-running case. But she also criticised the actions of prosecutors under the former national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government for pursuing charges against her.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/08/02/polish-supreme-court-acquits-politician-of-offending-religious-feelings-in-church-abortion-protest/

Poland – General public more liberal on abortion than MPs? New Survey

Following the lower house's rejection last week of a bill to decriminalise abortion assistance, the daily Rzeczpospolita has asked Poles what they think about this.

21.07.2024

45.7% of Poles surveyed declared their opposition to the Sejm's conservative, anti-abortion decision. 23.8% said they were positive about the decision. 12% said they were "indifferent" to the decision and 18.6% said they had not heard about it.

Assuming the sincerity of those saying they were "indifferent" or "unaware", that means that Polish society is more liberal about abortion, at least regarding its penalisation, than Polish society's representatives in the lower house.

As we reported last week, the Left's liberalising bill was only 4 votes short of passing the lower house.

Sources: Rzeczpospolita, Radio Poland
https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7784/Artykul/3405427,general-public-more-liberal-on-abortion-than-mps-new-survey

21.07.2024

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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 president vows to veto bill softening abortion law

JUL 10, 2024
Notes from Poland

Poland’s conservative president, Andrzej Duda, has vowed to veto a bill softening the country’s strict abortion laws that has been proposed by the more liberal governing coalition.

The proposed law would decriminalise the act of helping a woman obtain an unlawful abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Under the current law, someone can be jailed for up to three years for doing so.

Asked by broadcaster TVN whether he would sign the bill into law if it is passed by parliament, Duda replied: “No, because for me abortion is the killing of people.”

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/07/10/polish-president-vows-to-veto-bill-softening-abortion-law/

10.07.2024

Law and Justice party

Ex-PM says he and “many PiS colleagues” favour overturning abortion ban introduced under their rule

FEB 29, 2024
Notes from Poland

Mateusz Morawiecki, who led the former Law and Justice (PiS) government that oversaw the introduction of Poland’s near-total abortion ban, now says he and “many PiS colleagues” would vote in favour of a proposal by one of the country’s new ruling groups to overturn that ban.

In December, the national-conservative PiS party was replaced in power by a more liberal coalition led by Donald Tusk. Two of the groups in that coalition – Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition (KO) and The Left (Lewica) – want to not only end the near-total abortion ban but also introduce abortion on demand.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/02/29/ex-pm-says-he-and-many-pis-colleagues-favour-overturning-abortion-ban-introduced-under-their-rule/

Will Poland’s New Government Legalize Abortion?

Despite campaign promises, the fight for abortion rights seems far from over.

FEBRUARY 12, 2024
Foreign Policy

After Poland’s parliamentary election in October, many voters were hopeful that the new government would finally scrap the country’s strict abortion law. The law, which had been in place for three decades, was tightened further in 2020, leading to a near-total ban on abortion.

The election ended the eight-year rule of Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), with the opposition winning enough seats to form a coalition government. In the lead-up to the vote, two of the three groups that made up the opposition—the centrist Civic Coalition and the Left—pledged to legalize abortion up to or through 12 weeks of pregnancy; the former promised to do so within the first 100 days in office.

Continued: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/12/poland-abortion-rights-pro-choice-election-coalition-pis-law-ban/