Poland's Sejm to vote on abortion legislation in October

The Polish Sejm is set to vote on abortion-related legislation between October 20 and 23. Following 821 days of inactivity, a parliamentary committee held an urgent meeting to move two long-frozen projects to the plenary floor.

The current legislative focus involves a return to the 1993 compromise and partial decriminalization regarding assistance in abortion. However, proposals from the Left and Civic Coalition, which would permit abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, remain stalled in the committee.

In response, the organization Action for Democracy is collecting 10,000 signatures for an appeal to be delivered to coalition lawmakers before the vote. The appeal demands legal, safe, and accessible abortion in accordance with World Health Organization standards, as well as an end to the prosecution of those performing or assisting in abortions.