Polish Sejm passes abortion law changes amid Church opposition

The Polish Sejm has passed two legislative acts aimed at liberalizing abortion laws. The first restores the provision allowing pregnancy termination in cases of severe fetal abnormalities, effectively returning to the so-called abortion compromise. The second act partially decriminalizes abortion and assistance in the procedure.

The legislation passed with support from the Civic Coalition, Left, Centrum, Razem, and a majority of the PSL and Third Way parties. Opposition was provided by PiS, Rozwój Plus, and Konfederacja. The narrow margin of victory was attributed to dissent within the PSL.

The Polish Episcopate expressed strong opposition to the decision. During a plenary meeting, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda argued that every human has a right to life from conception and stated that the parliamentary decisions could undermine the social perception of the value of life.

A survey by SW Research indicates that 60.8 percent of respondents believe the president should sign the law allowing termination due to fetal defects, while 12.5 percent favor a veto. The Chief of the Presidential Chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki, noted that the president maintains a clear stance on protecting life from conception to natural death.