Protests in Poland pressed for broader abortion access on Thursday, Oct. 22, two days after lawmakers approved reforms that advocates say leave major demands unmet. The Associated Press reported demonstrations in more than 20 towns and cities, including hundreds outside parliament in Warsaw, where demonstrators called for abortion care to be legal and free.
The protests followed the Sejm’s passage of two abortion bills on Oct. 20. Poland’s Sejm, the lower house of parliament, approved a Criminal Code amendment with 217 votes in favor, 213 against and three abstentions. A bill concerning the Family Planning Act received 233 votes in favor, 203 against and one abstention, according to the official vote record.
FEDERA, a reproductive-rights group, says the measures fall short of its broader demands. It describes the Criminal Code bill as partially decriminalizing assistance with abortion, and says the other measure would restore a legal ground for abortion in cases of severe fetal abnormalities. FEDERA seeks abortion without a stated reason through at least the 12th week of pregnancy, as well as access through the health care system.
Poland’s Health Ministry says abortion is permitted when a pregnancy results from a crime or threatens a woman’s life or health. The legal ground for severe fetal abnormalities stopped applying on Jan. 27, 2021, after the Constitutional Tribunal issued its ruling on Oct. 22, 2020. The protests fell on the sixth anniversary of that decision.
Zofia Marcinek of Abortion Dream Team told AP, “The government’s promises act as a type of disinformation.” Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s office said its August 2024 guidance for hospitals and prosecutors was intended to improve access under existing law. It said one doctor’s opinion could establish a health-related ground, including mental health concerns.
AP and Radio ZET, citing National Health Fund (NFZ) data, reported 573 hospital abortion procedures from January through June 2026, compared with 452 during all of 2022. Radio ZET said the figures count hospital procedures, not abortions overall.
AP reported that a veto by President Karol Nawrocki was considered likely, although no decision had been made. The constitutional process places Senate review before presidential action. The Senate’s published calendar shows its next sitting on Oct. 27.
