Polish government ready to submit bill liberalizing abortion

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday, Jan. 24 that his government was ready to liberalize the near-total abortion ban and ease restrictions on the morning-after pill, which would reverse the previous government's policies.

Poland saw a rollback of women's reproductive rights during the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) eight-year rule, targeting access to abortion as well as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and the emergency contraception.

If passed, the Tusk government's legislation would be a dramatic reversal of its right-wing populist predecessor's policies.

But it faces an uphill battle in parliament, and even if it clears that hurdle, it is far from certain that President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who opposes abortion, would sign them into law.

Abortion in the majority-Catholic country is currently legal only if the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest, or threatens the life or health of the mother.

"We are ready to submit a bill to the parliament in the coming hours on legal and safe abortion up to the 12th week," Tusk told reporters.

Tusk earlier on Wednesday announced plans to also ease restrictions on the "morning-after" pill.

"The issue has been finalised, the draft law will be sent to parliament," he said, adding that the proposal aims to provide free access to the pill "from the age of 15."

There is no date set for the parliament to vote on both proposals.

The pro-EU coalition took power from the PiS in October 2023 general election on pledges to liberalise abortion laws in a country where the issue has sparked mass protests over the last years. (AFP)