Poland’s parliament votes to ease abortion ban but faces likely veto from president
Poland's lower house of parliament has approved two bills to ease the country's near-total ban on abortions by removing criminal penalties for helpers and allowing terminations for foetal abnormalities. However, the legislation faces a likely veto from the country's nationalist president, prompting ongoing protests from activists demanding full decriminalization.
Why it matters
Reproductive rights remain a deeply contested battleground in Eastern Europe, with legislative reforms frequently stalling due to political polarization and presidential vetoes.
People take part in a march in Warsaw on International Women's Day in March 2025. Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock People take part in a march in Warsaw on International Women's Day in March 2025. Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock Poland Poland’s parliament votes to ease abortion ban but faces likely veto from president Measures would remove some penalties for those helping women access abortion but are ‘small-scale step’, say campaigners
Prefer the Guardian on Google Poland’s lower house of parliament has approved two bills aimed at loosening a near-total ban on abortions, in what campaigners have described as a “small-scale step” ahead of protests calling on the government to fulfil its promises to overhaul the country’s laws.
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