#ABORTION

The “unjust” conviction of a Polish activist charged with helping a woman obtain an abortion must be overturned, Amnesty International has said.

Women across Russia are facing increasing barriers to accessing abortion services, even in cases of rape or severe medical complications, as government pressure mounts to curb the country’s declining population.

The European Parliament has held a debate on Poland’s abortion laws after a UN report indicated that Polish women are facing blatant violations of their human rights.

Abortion laws were tightened under the previous government in 2020.

The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has said that Poland’s restrictive abortion laws violate human rights.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has dismissed Deputy Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Sługocki following his absence from a vote on a bill aiming to liberalize abortion laws.

Europe has seen a broad trend towards liberalization of abortion laws but some countries are bucking the trend.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has announced that he will not sign a bill aiming to decriminalize assisted abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.

Medical facilities in Poland are now required to structure their operations so that at least one doctor is capable of performing an abortion procedure.

The lower house of the Polish Parliament, the Sejm, commenced a public hearing on Thursday morning for discussion of proposed bills concerning abortion, drawing fervent arguments from both advocates and opponents of abortion rights.

The rally aims to counter assaults on marriage, family, and conceived children at risk of abortion.

The commission will present its proposals for reforming the abortion law.

The 27-member commission, with 25 women, will include representatives from PiS (11), KO (9), Poland 2050-TD, PSL-TD, the Left (2 each), and the Confederation (1).

All the bills have been submitted by the parties forming the current coalition, including two submitted by The Left.

Under the existing laws, abortion is only legal in the case of rape, incest, or a danger to the woman’s health or life.

The Polish Health Ministry has submitted for public consultation a draft regulation on availability of the ‘morning after'’ contraceptive pill without prescription.

Gross staff negligence and a likely language barrier resulted in doctors at a Prague hospital mixing up two patients.

He sent the bill back to the lower house of parliament (Sejm).

Even if the president vetoes the law on the morning-after pill, the contraceptive will be made available without prescription from 1 May, Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna has announced.

“This issue is one of the most important because it divides Polish society,” said Szymon Hołownia.