Sejm sends bill easing Poland's abortion law for further consideration

The first reading of this legislative proposal to amend the Penal Code, aiming for partial decriminalization of termination of pregnancy with the woman’s consent and decriminalization of assistance in self-managed abortion, took place in the Sejm on Wednesday (November 6).

At that time, the far-right Confederation and PiS (Law and Justice) submitted a motion to reject the bill. Thus, in the Friday voting block, the lawmakers voted on this motion.

Out of 452 members who voted, 216 were in favor of rejecting the bill, while 232 voted against. Four abstained, leading the Sejm to refer the bill to further work in the Special Committee.

In the PiS (Law and Justice) party, 185 out of 190 members participated, with 184 voting in favor of the motion, while Monika Pawłowska abstained.

In the Civic Coalition, all 157 members voted, all opposing the motion.

In the Poland 2050-Third Way group, 31 out of 32 parliamentarians voted, all opposed to the motion.

In the PSL-Third Way group, 31 out of 32 members participated. Of these, 11 supported the motion, 17 opposed, and 3 abstained.

Among those (PSL Polish People's Party) members who supported the PiS and Confederation motion to reject the bill were Marek Biernacki, Adam Dziedzic, Andrzej Grzyb, Mirosław Maliszewski, Urszula Nowogórska, Ireneusz Raś, Wiesław Różyński, Marek Sawicki, Zbigniew Sosnowski, Jacek Tomczak, and Bożena Żelazowska.

Those who abstained were Paweł Bejda, Dariusz Klimczak, and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

In Confederation, 17 out of 18 members voted in favor, with one abstaining.

All 5 members of the Razem parliamentary group voted against.

All four members of the Free Republicans group voted in favor of rejecting the bill.

Independent MP Adam Gomoła voted against.

The bill was jointly submitted by the Left and the Civic Coalition. This is the second attempt by these parties to convince the parliamentary majority to amend regulations regarding the decriminalization of abortion.

A previous bill on this issue was rejected in July, with 215 votes in favor, 218 against, and 2 abstentions. The rejection was partly due to votes from PSL-Third Way members, with only four members supporting the new regulations: Agnieszka Kłopotek, Jolanta Zięba-Gzik, Urszula Pasławska, and Magdalena Sroka.

The current bill mirrors the previous version’s provisions. Proposed amendments to the Penal Code include repealing Article 152, paragraph 1, which currently stipulates up to three years’ imprisonment for terminating a pregnancy with the woman’s consent if it violates the provisions of the 1993 Family Planning, Fetal Protection, and Conditions for Terminating Pregnancy Act.

The bill also proposes that terminating a pregnancy with the woman’s consent, in violation of the Family Planning Act, should only carry a penalty of restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to five years if more than 12 weeks have passed since the pregnancy began.

The changes would also repeal Article 152, paragraph 2, which currently imposes the same penalty on those who assist a pregnant woman in terminating her pregnancy in violation of the act or incite her to do so.

The bill also stipulates that a doctor, nurse, or midwife does not commit a crime if the termination of pregnancy results from a medical procedure necessary to avert a risk to the woman’s health or life, or when prenatal examinations or other medical indicators suggest a high probability of severe and irreversible fetal defects or an incurable illness threatening the fetus’s life.