Poland has a strict abortion law - and many abortions. Lawmakers are now tackling the legislation
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Poland's parliament is finally holding a long-awaited debate on liberalizing the country's strict abortion law. The traditionally Catholic nation has one of the most restrictive laws in Europe -- but the reality is that many women terminate pregnancies at home with pills mailed from abroad.
Poland's parliament is finally holding a long-awaited debate on liberalizing the country's strict abortion law. The traditionally Catholic nation has one of the most restrictive laws in Europe -- but the reality is that many women terminate pregnancies at home with pills mailed from abroad.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament will consider four different proposals on Thursday. Currently abortion is regulated by a 1993 law, which was heavily influenced by the Catholic church, and further restricted following a 2020 constitutional court ruling preventing abortion in case of fetal abnormalities.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who came to power in December after eight years of a conservative government, has vowed to legalize abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy. He has said the decision is a woman's to make, not that of "a priest, a prosecutor or a party official."
Many Tusk voters hoped lawmakers would have taken up the matter sooner. But conservatives in Tusk's three-party governing coalition pushed to keep the hot-button issue off the agenda until last weekend's local elections were over.
Either way, an uncertain path awaits those who would like to liberalize the law. Surveys show public support for a more liberal law, but those fighting for the status quo have also mobilized, with an anti-abortion group planning a march through downtown Warsaw as the debate is underway.
Crucially, conservative politicians hold key political positions with the power to block change.
One is President Andrzej Duda, who holds veto power over legislation and who already last month vetoed a law that would have allowed over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill for girls and women ages 15 and above.
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