Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia said there is a plan to consider projects related to the liberalization of abortion at the upcoming Sejm session. Previously, Hołownia had proposed to pull the abortion issue out of the ongoing local government campaign.
During a briefing, reporters asked if Hołownia would advise the Sejm to review all abortion-related bills in the next session. The chamber is scheduled to meet on March 6 and 8.
Hołownia facing pressure from the left
There is such a plan, but as a member of the governing coalition, it will be discussed this week. Hołownia said he would bring a working proposal to the table so that all projects touching the permissibility of abortion are read at the next Sejm and decisions on how to proceed are made.
He noted that he had previously suggested removing the abortion topic from the campaign and handling these bills at the first Sejm session in April, April 10–12, and then sending them to an extraordinary Commission for consideration.
Hołownia cited a differing stance from the Left, which framed the issue in a confrontational manner. He referred to a statement by Sejm Deputy Chairman Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who recently claimed that the leaders of the Third Way Szymon Hołownia and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz were blocking progress on abortion liberalization projects.
Hołownia indicated he would take that into account. He stressed that the problem must be faced openly and discussed honestly. This week, he said, he would present the idea and seek a consensus among leaders. If they decide to approach the matter calmly after the heat of the election, they would consider it further.
– he stated.
All projects for a second reading
At present, his proposal is to address the issue at the next Sejm session, since a single joint action cannot be agreed upon at this time.
He noted that all the relevant projects should be read aloud in the plenary hall.
Asked whether he would personally vote to reject any of the abortion bills in the first reading, Hołownia emphasized that he favored including all bills in the second reading.
Last week, the Third Way coalition TDs within PSL and Polska 2050 submitted a bill on abortion to the Sejm, calling for a reversal of the Constitutional Court’s 2020 ruling. They also announced a motion for a referendum on the issue.
At the end of January, the Sejm received a bill from deputies within the Civic Coalition parliamentary club proposing that a pregnant person have access to health care, including termination of pregnancy, within the first twelve weeks. In November, the Left presented two bills to liberalize abortion regulations, one partially decriminalizing abortion and its assistance, and the other allowing termination up to the end of the twelfth week of gestation.
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Source: wPolityce