Polish government plans to significantly liberalize abortion legislation
Kyiv • UNN
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced plans to submit a bill to parliament that would legalize abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, as well as the sale of over-the-counter birth control pills from the age of 15. This follows widespread protests in response to stricter abortion laws introduced in 2021.
During a conference call on Wednesday (January 24), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a bill to liberalize abortion would be submitted to the Sejm.
This is reported by UNN with reference to Do Rzeczy.
We are ready to submit to the Parliament a draft law on legal and safe abortion up to the twelfth week within the next few hours
Details
At the same time, Tusk announced a bill on pills taken in the morning after sleep.
We are talking about over-the-counter access from the age of 15 (...) Under the age of 15, a prescription will be required
At the same time, the Prime Minister warned that the parties in the government coalition have different views on these topics.
The head of the Polish government emphasizes that the law itself is very simple and changes one short provision.
I hope that during the work in the Parliament and later, when the draft law is on the President's desk, there will be no objections and no attempts to veto this draft law. It is undeniable that these medicines should be widely available to those interested
Context
In 2021, following a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court, stricter abortion laws came into effect in Poland. Since then, women have been prohibited from having an abortion, even if the unborn child has serious developmental disabilities.
Last year, protests were held across the country after the death of a pregnant woman during hospital treatment. The woman died of sepsis after leaking amniotic fluid.
Women's human rights activists accused the doctors of not daring to perform an abortion despite the complications because they were afraid of legal consequences.
