The three opposition parties willing to form a new Polish government after a recent election are working on a coalition deal that makes no mention of abortion [1].
The Governing party who lost the election had warned that the opposition would bring in a radical abortion regime if elected.
However, Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO, EPP/Greens), the Third Way bloc (Renew/EPP) and the Left (S&D) are divided on how to tackle the controversial issue.
Abortion is legal in Poland only if the pregnancy endangers the life or health of the mother or is the result of rape or incest.
However, those categories account for a miniscule number of abortions meaning the health ground is strictly interpreteted.
According to statistics from Poland’s Ministry of Health, of the 1,110 abortions performed in Polish clinics in 2019, 1,074 were on eugenic grounds.
The Constitutional Tribunal’s decision effectively declared a near-total ban on abortion.
During their election campaign, the Left and KO promised to legalise abortion up until the 12th week, while the Third Way wants to return to the 1993 compromise under which abortion was legal only when a fetushas a severe genetic abnormality, when the mother’s life is in danger, and when the pregnancy happened as a result of rape.
According to MP Dariusz Wieczorek, who represents the Left in the negotiation team, the parties “all agree about the need to cancel the Constitutional Tribunal’s decision as soon as possible”.
While the coalition agreement does not mention abortion, he said a bill on abortion rights is likely to be introduced sometime in 2024 after discussion within the coalition.