Polish parliament votes to ease abortion law, veto threatens
The Sejm voted for two amendments, but President Karol Nawrocki has spoken out against liberalisation.
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Poland’s parliament on Tuesday approved two proposals that would partially ease the country’s strict abortion law. The proposals would make abortion possible again in cases of serious foetal abnormalities and reduce penalties for those assisting, but the Polish president appears to be considering a veto.
The Sejm, Poland’s Lower House, voted in favour of an amendment to the criminal code and an amendment to the family planning law. The first law removes penalties for helping a woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy and for inciting abortion. According to Polskie Radio 24, the amendment passed with 217 votes in favour, 213 against and three abstentions.
The second law restores the possibility of terminating a pregnancy when tests indicate a high probability of a serious and irreversible foetal abnormality or an incurable condition threatening the foetus’s life. This would be possible until the point at which the foetus could live independently outside the mother’s body, according to the text as summarised by Poland’s public broadcaster.
The proposals do not provide general access to abortion. A separate proposal to allow abortion on request up to twelve weeks is still before parliamentary committees. Under the current rules, abortion in Poland is mainly permitted when the woman’s life or health is at risk, or when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.
The current restrictions stemmed from a 2020 ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. It ended the possibility of legally terminating a pregnancy because of serious foetal abnormalities. The decision sparked large protests and became part of the rules in force in 2021.
The vote is politically important for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European coalition. During the 2023 election campaign, it promised to ease abortion rules, but the coalition consists of parties with differing views on the scope of that change. The two proposals passed therefore represent a limited step, not the full implementation of the election promise.
President Karol Nawrocki’s office has said that he is awaiting the parliamentary proceedings, but his position on protecting unborn life is clear. A spokesperson for the presidential office described the parliamentary proposals as an ideological conflict and said that the president would decide formally only after the parliamentary process had concluded. Reuters considers a veto likely. After being considered by parliament, the proposals go to the president; Poland’s parliament can override a veto only with a qualified majority.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- On 20 October 2026, the Sejm adopted two amendments concerning abortion.
- One proposal concerns penalties for assisting with abortion; the other concerns abortion in cases of serious foetal abnormalities.
- The proposals are not yet law.
- President Karol Nawrocki has indicated that he places protection of unborn life at the centre of his position and will decide formally only after the parliamentary process has concluded.
Left
Arguments The proposals are a necessary first step towards restoring women’s access to care and ensuring that doctors and healthcare workers are not threatened with criminal prosecution. Supporters would also argue that the state should not force women to carry a pregnancy involving a serious, incurable condition to term.
Values Bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, equal access to healthcare and protection of medical professionals.
Consequences From this perspective, a veto would prolong the existing uncertainty for women and healthcare providers and damage the credibility of the governing coalition.
Centre
Arguments The vote can be seen as a limited, legally focused correction to the harshest effects of the current law. An institutional approach emphasises that careful parliamentary scrutiny, clear medical criteria and practical enforceability are more important than a quick symbolic victory.
Values Legal certainty, enforceability, coalition compromise and respect for the president’s constitutional role.
Consequences The outcome could create room for gradual reform, but could also trigger renewed political tension if the president blocks the proposals.
Right
Arguments Opponents see the proposals as undermining the protection of unborn life and as an ideological conflict that the government is using to mobilise division. They may believe that assisting with abortion should remain a criminal offence and that medical exceptions should be strictly limited.
Values Protection of unborn life, moral responsibility, national sovereignty and restraint by the state in pursuing rapid social reform.
Consequences From this perspective, a veto would prevent limited exceptions from developing into broader abortion rights and could force parliament into a wider public debate.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core facts have been confirmed by Reuters, Polskie Radio 24 and the office of the Polish president. The text makes clear that these are adopted proposals, not law already in force.
- confirmed Poland’s Sejm voted on 20 October in favour of two amendments concerning abortion. — Reuters and Polskie Radio 24 both report that the Sejm adopted two proposals. source
- confirmed One amendment reduces the penalties for assisting with abortion. — Polskie Radio 24 describes the adopted amendment to the criminal code. source
- confirmed A second amendment makes abortion possible again in cases of serious foetal abnormalities. — Reuters and Polskie Radio 24 describe the content of the second law. source
- confirmed President Karol Nawrocki has spoken out against liberalisation. — The presidential office emphasises the protection of life from conception and describes the parliamentary approach as an ideological conflict. source
- confirmed In Poland, a presidential veto can be rejected only by a qualified majority. — The presidential office’s official explanation refers to a three-fifths majority with at least half of the statutory parliamentary membership present. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the Sejm adopted two amendments on 20 October and that presidential opposition has been announced. The proposals must still go through the rest of the legislative process, so no definitive easing has yet been achieved.Sources
- Polish lawmakers vote to ease abortion ban, but face likely presidential veto — Reuters via MarketScreener
- Sejm zdecydował w sprawie aborcji. Dwie ustawy przyjęte — Polskie Radio 24
- Szef BPM o kluczowych wyzwaniach państwa, relacjach z USA i ochronie praw obywateli — Kancelaria Prezydenta RP
- Prezydent wobec uchwalonych ustaw — Kancelaria Prezydenta RP
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „polen abortus”
- AD — „polen abortus”
- de Volkskrant — „polen abortus”