PiS backs rejecting the civil bill on safe first-reading termination of pregnancy. KO wants to send it back to committee for more work and signals amendments. The left bloc backs the bill and calls for an immediate move to second reading.
MEPs will cast their votes on the proposal in the party group on Thursday.
Long and sharp discussion
On Wednesday, the first reading of the citizens’ bill on safe termination of pregnancy and other reproductive rights began around 10:50 p.m. and concluded roughly at 1 a.m. after about two hours of debate.
The draft was submitted to the Sejm by the committee behind the “Legal Abortion Without Compromise” initiative. It envisions, among other things, the right to terminate a pregnancy up to 12 weeks and beyond in cases such as threats to the pregnant person’s life or physical or mental health, when prenatal testing or other medical indications show fetal abnormalities, and when the pregnancy results from a prohibited act acknowledged by the pregnant person.
Under the draft, abortion would be funded by the National Health Fund. A person aged 13 or older could decide to terminate a pregnancy. For a minor under 13 who wishes to terminate, consent from a legal guardian is required, or, if the guardian does not express consent, the guardianship judge’s consent. The bill also guarantees access to information, education, and guidance to support conscious parenthood. It would abolish the criminal liability of doctors and abortion staff and adds rules around the conscience clause to prevent abuse that undermines patient rights.
†This act of ours is just a recovery program”
When presenting the bill, Marta Lempart, leader of the National Women’s Strike, described it as a recovery program that would bring standards in line with civilized countries and readings grounded in medical science.
She stated that the bill would update Polish law to match European and global norms for protecting women’s life and health. It would align Polish law with the realities people experience every day, including daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, and friends.
– she said.
She added that the regulation would be based on hard data and medical science, not constitutional abstractions, and would remove provisions deemed unconstitutional, contrary to science, and discordant with European and global standards.
– she added.
The project, Lempart continued, would correct the residual effects of recent non-constitutional actions by a former Constitutional Tribunal team and aim to restore a science-led framework.
This law would be a recovery program among several needed steps to safeguard public health in Poland. It would establish substantive, scientific, and legal standards for protecting women’s health in access to abortion services.
emphasized Lempart.
She noted that there exists in theory a law to protect the life and health of pregnant people, guaranteeing abortion when health or life is at risk.
How does current anti-abortion practice operate? They cited cases such as Izabela from Pszczyna and Agnieszka from Częstochowa. The narrative described doctors paralyzed by fear in hospitals and patients finding their own way to obtain care.
– she said.
How does it work? People who are not pregnant understand it first. Poland holds the lowest birth rate since World War II, she argued, because women recognize the dangers. The system needs fixes.
– she announced.
PiS rejects the bill
Law and Justice Deputy Anna Milczanowska argued that PiS is committed to safety and to upholding the rights of every person.
That is why the PiS club opposes the project as a whole. It also contends the bill would violate the right to life, freedom of conscience and expression, and parental authority.
– she said. She indicated that PiS favors rejecting the proposal at first reading.
Milczanowska criticized, among other points, a provision allowing a decision to terminate a pregnancy by a person aged 13 or older.
She described this as alarming, especially when parental consent is required for simple medical or hygienic procedures. The authors, she argued, would impose full abortion freedom on 13-year-olds. She added that she did not mean to limit real support, but the proposals offered illusory, overly simplistic solutions that could lead to harm or tragedy.
– she rated. She also criticized efforts to curb the use of the conscience clause by doctors.
The project was supported by Civic Coalition members Barbara Nowacka and Monika Wielichowska.
Nowacka argued that the proposal stands in opposition to Polish women and men who reject dishonesty from Kaczyński, Ziobro, Przyłębska and others who, from the right, speak about human rights and women’s protection.
– she said in response to Milczanowska’s remarks.
Nowacka accused PiS politicians of frightening Polish women into motherhood and claimed that the cause is the lack of help, support, and safety. She asserted that the citizenship project represents the voice of women and men seeking normality in Poland.
Both Nowacka and Wielichowska proposed referring the bill for further work in the Social Policy and Family Committee. Wielichowska said that if that happened, KO would table amendments to bring its provisions closer to the “Women’s Rights Package” approved by Civic Platform in February of the previous year. The package includes legal abortion up to the 12th week with medical and psychological consultation, plus reimbursement for in vitro fertilization, contraception, and sex education.
Bożena Żelazowska of the Polish-PSL coalition stressed the need for a broad package of laws that would ensure long-term state support for mothers facing tough decisions and guarantee care for a sick child and a dignified life.
As the KP-PSL group, she affirmed support for protecting and respecting human life in all its dimensions, while also insisting on a wise compromise and noting there would be no discipline in voting within the KP-PSL club.
Katarzyna Kotula, speaking for the Lewica club, reminded that Poland remains the only major European nation with a total ban on abortion.
Women’s health and safety cut across politics; they have no religion or worldview because they are fundamental. Trust women and give them the right to decide about motherhood, she argued. She added that the left would back the project while also pushing for an immediate move to second reading because Polish women cannot wait.
Joanna Mucha from Poland 2050 said the party would vote according to individual conviction, with some voting to advance the law for further work despite disagreements with the wording today, out of respect for the citizens’ initiative.
She suggested revisiting the state’s approach ahead of the 2021 Constitutional Court ruling and, following the opposition’s victory, organizing a citizens’ assembly to frame a referendum on abortion.
Over the years, efforts tried to shape the decision differently, but progress stalled. A referendum was proposed as a path forward.
Joanna Senyszyn of the PPP circle expressed full support for the project, arguing it expanded women’s and human rights and that the current law only fuels abortion access. Grzegorz Braun of the Confederation called the proposal monstrous and grotesque and moved to reject it at first reading.
At the end of the debate, Natalia Broniarczyk from the Legal Abortion Without Compromise committee spoke out on behalf of women seeking abortions, describing the work of Abortion Without Borders and similar groups. She noted that the organization assists many people daily with pharmacological abortions and supports others traveling abroad for care, having spent substantial funds to aid those unable to afford procedures. She referenced the long-standing fight to help those facing criminal charges for assisting abortions and highlighted personal stories of those affected and the risks involved.
According to Broniarczyk, the current 1993 law on family planning and abortion remains one of the harshest anti-abortion statutes, and the question remains: what happens to those who help others when the law is strict? The discussion underscored the human impact behind legal debates and the real-world challenges faced by people seeking care.
Senyszyn and other speakers urged empathy, openness, and a direct approach to women’s health issues, emphasizing that the conversation is about real lives and the protection of rights that affect families and communities.