The Polish prime minister has signaled an opening to relax strict abortion rules within the first hundred days of taking office. The Guardian, a British daily, notes that time is pressing and full liberalization remains uncertain.
Three years ago, Polish women protested with banners proclaiming, “My body, my choice.” Those demonstrations marked a turning point as activists shifted the battleground from city streets to parliament, where lawmakers now face a crucial test for the new government.
According to The Guardian, Kamila Ferenc, head of the FEDERA Foundation for Women and Family Planning, said that women helped bring this government to power. Ferenc, a member of the State Tribunal since 2023, warned that anything short of liberalizing abortion laws would leave many feeling betrayed by a movement that mobilized hundreds of thousands in streets.
Ferenc argued that it would be a disrespectful response to a large segment of Polish women if reform did not proceed as promised. Marta Lempart, quoted by the Guardian, emphasized that women and young people were pivotal in delivering electoral success for Prime Minister Tusk. The Guardian reports that three bills have been introduced so far, each aiming to liberalize abortion rules.
In November, the left announced two proposals: one legalizing abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, and another decriminalizing assisted abortion. The Guardian notes that Tusk has said his party would also present a bill permitting abortion up to the twelfth week. Both the Civic Coalition and the left include allowances for late-stage abortion if the mother’s life is at risk or if significant fetal defects are detected.
At present, there is no confirmed date for the first parliamentary reading of these bills.
The Guardian highlights that Third Road, a young member of the governing coalition, is weighing a return to Poland’s pre-1993 compromise on abortion. This clause depicts a potential return to restrictive rules that could halt liberalization momentum.
Despite broad public support for easing abortion restrictions, it seems unlikely that the two bills permitting up to the twelfth week will secure enough votes in the Sejm for an initial approval. The Guardian laments that only the most conservative bill might pass, aiming to restore Poland’s earlier legal stance, while other proposals could be rejected.
Ferenc warned that failure to advance reform would spell trouble for women’s rights advocates. She urged Prime Minister Tusk to push harder on the Third Way agreement, underscoring that negotiation is a political necessity in matters as sensitive as women’s rights and abortion policy. The context is described as serious, with a climate of fear surrounding abortion in Poland.
Reports suggest that beyond teachers and students facing access to laptops, some women connected with the Black Marches—participants in the campaign era—feel let down by the current direction and have begun voicing concerns to international media outlets. The Guardian is cited as the source for these reflections. —JJW, theguardian.com