As of: January 24, 2024, 7:42 p.m
By: Nils Hinsberger
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Press
Split
Poland's government wants to relax abortion laws.
In addition, the “morning after pill” should be available without a prescription – the President, who is close to the PiS, still has to agree.
Warsaw – Abortion law in Poland has historically been considered one of the most restrictive in Europe.
According to the German Press Agency (dpa), under former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki from the right-wing radical PiS party, abortions were only permitted in cases of rape or incest.
An exception also applied if the mother's life was in danger.
The legal situation could change soon.
Donald Tusk, Poland's newly elected prime minister, reportedly told several journalists in Warsaw that his government planned to relax the law.
In addition, access to the “morning after pill” should be simplified.
Prime Minister Tusk wants to allow “abortion up to the twelfth week” in Poland
Within the center-left alliance of Poland's new government, there are "different views on this issue," Tusk said.
The push to change the law came from his liberal-conservative citizens' coalition.
Together with the left-wing alliance Lewica and the Christian-conservative Third Way party, they agreed on a corresponding initiative.
“We are ready to introduce a bill for legal and safe abortions up to the twelfth week of pregnancy into parliament in the coming hours,” said Tusk in Warsaw.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to overturn the previous government's quasi-abortion ban.
© IMAGO/Ukraine Presidency/Ukrainian Pre
In addition, another draft law should make the morning-after pill easier to access.
From the age of 15, the aim is to make the drug available to women and girls without a prescription to prevent pregnancy.
The previous government introduced a prescription requirement for the morning-after pill, reports the
Tagesschau
.
Poland protested against the PiS government's stricter abortion laws
The government of the PiS party caused nationwide waves of protests with an almost complete ban on abortion.
The ban also prohibited abortions of severely malformed or seriously ill unborn babies.
After the law was passed, abortions were only legal if the health of the pregnant woman was in danger or the pregnancy was the result of a crime.
Massive protests broke out last year after the death of a woman, reports Die
Zeit
.
The woman is said to have died of sepsis due to leaking amniotic fluid.
Women's rights activists accused the treating doctors of not carrying out an abortion out of fear of legal consequences.
President close to PiS must bring abortion law into force
After parliament has agreed on the law, all that is needed is the approval of Poland's incumbent President Andrzej Duda.
The problem: Duda is close to the right-wing extremist PiS party, which positioned itself as an opponent of abortion.
It is not yet clear whether Duda will prevent the planned reform.
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The reform of the restrictive abortion law in Poland was already promised by the pro-European camp during the election campaign, reports the
Tagesschau
.
After Tusk and his left-liberal coalition won the elections in Poland, the partners officially included the law in their coalition agreement.
(nhi)