Officials from the President’s Chancellery warned that changes to the Constitutional Court through Sejm resolutions would contradict the Constitution and harm citizens. This view was voiced by Małgorzata Paprocka, a minister in the President’s Chancellery, who also criticized the opposition’s proposals to allow 15-year-olds to obtain the morning-after pill without a prescription.
In early February, Jan Grabiec, head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, said on RMF24 that beginning constitutional changes through parliamentary acts would first be a declaration of intent, essentially presenting draft laws or Sejm resolutions. He noted that minister Bodnar was working on drafts and consulting them widely with legal professionals. According to Paprocka, such announcements represent a political move that risks legal chaos and, more importantly, affects citizens by altering the legal order.
The President’s Chancellery has a clear, expert-informed stance: there is no mechanism to introduce changes of this kind at the current stage, after judges have been elected, sworn in, and begun their duties.
– the presidential minister told reporters in the Sejm on Thursday, when asked whether the presidential palace would accept a reform of the Constitutional Court through parliamentary resolutions. She asserted that such a move would run counter to the constitution.
First and foremost, it would come at the expense of citizens who rely on the court’s judgments for their rights.
– added Paprocka.
“The Morning After” without a prescription for teens
Paprocka said the government’s project on the morning-after pill has been tracked from the initial planning phase by the KPRP.
The concerns cited by the President’s Chancellery center on age verification and the fact that some key elements would be regulated outside a formal law framework, particularly questions about which medications require prescriptions.
– the presidential minister told journalists in the Sejm on Thursday.
She noted that the current legal framework uses different age thresholds. For instance, the Civil Code limits legal capacity for those under thirteen, and the Criminal Code penalizes sexual activity with a minor under fifteen. Medical consent is generally set at sixteen, while certain procedures require eighteen-year-old consent.
– the minister explained in the KPRP.
She also recalled that regulations exist for energy drinks and tanning bed use due to cancer risk, with an eighteen-year age limit. Alcohol and tobacco rules were not part of that specific discussion, she added, emphasizing perceived inconsistencies in the current approach.
There are rights for both parents and patients. The law firm will thoroughly analyze the issue, seeking input from experts in medicine as well as law.
- the minister stressed. Paprocka also noted that the president’s decision would depend on the final form of the legislation.
We are at a very early stage of work. It remains difficult to predict how the bill will emerge from the Sejm, she emphasized.
The Health Committee previously approved amendments related to the morning-after pill, and discussions continue about age-related access and safety considerations.
The case against Kamiński and Wąsik is closed
Małgorzata Paprocka stated that the issue involving Maciej Wąsik and Mariusz Kamiński has been settled from the President’s Chancellery perspective.
The President issued a clemency act confirming a 2015 pardon, and the Chancellery believes the individuals remain MPs. This assessment follows statements from the Supreme Court in this matter.
However, the internal parliamentary concerns about seating and admission of MPs are strictly an internal issue for the legislature, and no action can be taken by the President’s Chancellery.
– noted Paprocka.