Hołownia and the Coalition: The Abortion Legislation Debate Moves Forward
Following a meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Szymon Hołownia, the leader of Poland 2050, suggested there might be a path forward for the four draft laws on abortion. He spoke at a Sejm press conference, noting that while he could not guarantee a majority, there was a real possibility that on April 11 all four projects would be referred to an extraordinary committee. The situation appeared to reflect mounting pressure from the left and a shift in stance from the ruling coalition, as Hołownia described the discussion as open and constructive.
On Friday, Hołownia met with the co-chair of the New Left. In Sejm corridors, he explained that, in honor of Women’s Day, he visited the deputies’ office and had a “very good conversation” with Czarzasty. When asked whether the crisis had been averted, the Marshal of the Sejm answered affirmatively.
Has Hołownia reached an agreement with the coalition partners?
April 11 has been proposed as the date for considering all four abortion-related bills. Hołownia described this moment as potentially historic for the Polish Parliament, noting that the chamber had seen debates about abortion laws since 1996, with many proposals ultimately failing in the first reading. He reminded listeners of the long arc of the issue and signaled a potential turning point for the current session.
According to the Sejm Marshal, extensive discussions took place with representatives from all groups about the draft laws this week. While he could not confirm a guaranteed majority, he emphasized that there was a real chance the four projects would be referred to an extraordinary committee on April 11, a move that would keep the proposals from being discarded. Hołownia reiterated that the documents would be handled with seriousness and not ignored.
Dispute in the government of Donald Tusk
During the week, Czarzasty accused Confederation and Trzecia Droga of blocking his motion to move forward with abortion laws at the Sejm Presidium. He noted that three people supported the motion – himself and two deputy marshals from PO – while Hołownia and other deputies from PSL and Confederacy publicly opposed it. Earlier, Hołownia announced on TVN24 that he planned to proceed with the abortion bills on April 11, immediately after the first local government elections. He said he would submit a formal recommendation on the date to the Presidium and the Seniors’ Convention, stressing that he had done everything possible to ensure the Sejm would take the issues seriously.
No legal advice
Deputy Chairman Krzysztof Bosak of the Confederation commented that no one seemed ready to advance the bills during the current Sejm session. He claimed to be the only Presidium member who requested legal opinions on the drafts and that the materials he received exceeded 100 pages. In the previous Presidium, Bosak said, these opinions were not ordered by anyone. He added that he had personally asked the Sejm Analysis Bureau for constitutional compatibility analysis and had only today received it.
Bills affecting unborn children
Last November, the left submitted two bills to liberalize abortion regulations: one to partially decriminalize abortion and its assistance, and another to permit termination up to the end of the twelfth week of pregnancy. At the end of January, a proposal from Civic Coalition MPs was submitted, aiming to guarantee health care access for termination during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. In late February, Trzecia Droga, a coalition including PSL and Poland 2050, submitted a bill reversing the Constitutional Court’s 2020 ruling on abortion regulations and proposed a referendum on the issue. A subsequent meeting suggested Hołownia and Czarzasty had reached an understanding on these four drafts, prompting questions about whether external pressures from the left were influencing the leadership. For several observers, the timing also coincided with calls from activists like Marta Lempart for Hołownia to resign and to mobilize demonstrations in support of abortion rights.
– The broader coalition dispute over abortion continues as deputies debate the pathway forward. The question remains whether the leadership can broker a stable, actionable plan that satisfies diverse factions while keeping the process within constitutional and parliamentary norms. (Attribution: wPolityce)