Poland's Senate also votes to relax abortion laws
The changes to the law provide for immunity from prosecution until the 12th week, but a presidential veto is considered likely.
Quick Look
- The Polish Senate has voted to relax abortion laws, decriminalizing abortion up to the 12th week.
- However, the plan faces an uncertain future as President Karol Nawrocki could veto it.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Polish abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe. The current government under Donald Tusk is aiming for liberalization, which was one of its key election promises.
Abortion laws in Poland are one of the strictest in Europe. If the majority of MPs had their way, that should change: after the first chamber, the Senate now also voted for an easing that was introduced by the center-left government under Donald Tusk.
According to this, doctors and midwives should no longer be punished if they carry out an abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy or give women an abortion pill.
In addition, abortions should be permitted if the fetus is diagnosed with a serious malformation or incurable disease. This rule was in effect until 2020 - but was then declared unconstitutional and repealed by the highest Polish court.
Presidential veto expected
Apart from these two changes, abortions would remain illegal in Poland. So far they are only permitted if the mother is in danger of health, has been raped or has committed incest.
The decision on the changes to the law now rests with President Karol Nawrocki. This person must agree within three weeks or veto it. Consent is unlikely. The right-wing nationalist head of state is considered an opponent of abortion.
If Nawrocki rejects the changes, it will probably be the end of the project. In the first chamber of parliament, the Sejm, a three-fifths majority would be needed to override a presidential veto. But that is currently not in sight.
Survey: Majority wants change in the law
According to a survey, almost 61 percent of people in Poland would like Nawrocki to approve the law on impunity for abortion in the event of malformations or illnesses in the fetus. In recent weeks there have been demonstrations calling for a relaxation of abortion rights.
The Catholic Church in Poland expressed criticism of the plans. At the end of October, the chairman of the bishops' conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, described the draft laws as "politics that do not build up, but destroy." He called for respect for the lives of unborn children.
Liberalizing abortion regulations was one of the key campaign promises of Tusk, whose pro-European coalition has led the country since the end of 2023.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
President Nawrocki is expected to reject the law.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will President Nawrocki actually veto it?
- How does civil society react to a veto?
