Under current law, an abortion is only legal if there is rape, incest or a threat to a woman’s health or life.
Polish lawmakers have voted to continue work on proposals to lift a near-total ban on abortion, a contentious issue in the traditionally Roman Catholic country, which has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.
On Friday, deputies in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm, voted to work on four bills and set up a commission to deal with them.
Two of the bills propose to legalize abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy in line with European standards. One proposes decriminalizing assisting a woman in terminating a pregnancy, which is currently a crime punishable by three years in prison. And a fourth plan would keep a ban in most cases but allow abortions for fetal defects – a right eliminated by a 2020 court ruling.
According to the country’s current laws, abortion is legal only in cases of rape, incest or a threat to a woman’s health or life.
Liberalizing access to abortion was a key campaign promise of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who emerged victorious in October’s election, where turnout was high in part because of women’s rights issues.
“We keep our word! “Parliament will advance all abortion rights projects,” Tusk said on social media after Friday’s vote.
Reacting to the news, Miko Czerwinski, campaign director at Amnesty International Poland, said: “By adopting these four amendments, the Polish Parliament has taken a significant step towards ending the cruel and draconian restrictions on access to abortion, which have had a devastating impact on the lives and health of so many people.”
“As these amendments advance to the next voting stage, it is critical that politicians listen to the voices of civil society and people directly affected by the near-total abortion ban and bring the law into line with international human rights standards,” said he added in a statement to reporters.
Crucial question in Parliament
In recent years, authorities in Poland have come under increasing pressure over abortion laws after several women died with pregnancy complications after being denied abortions.
According to an Ipsos opinion poll, 35 percent of Poles support allowing abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy, while 14 percent said they would keep the current rules.
23 percent want a referendum on liberalizing abortion laws, a solution supported by the center-right Third Way party but heavily criticized by women’s rights activists.
Even if parliament approves the reforms, it is unlikely that President Andrzej Duda, a conservative Catholic ally of the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, will enact them.
Furthermore, the coalition government – made up of Tusk’s Civic Coalition and its junior partners Third Way and Left – does not have the three-fifths majority required to override a presidential veto.
The four bills are now being discussed by the parliamentary special commission. It’s not clear how long the work will take, but some lawmakers have suggested it could take until a new president is elected next year.
The vote in Poland followed the European Parliament’s adoption of a resolution on Thursday calling for the right to abortion to be included in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.
EU lawmakers called on Poland and Malta, the two countries with the strictest restrictions on abortion, to lift the restrictions.