Poland takes ‘first step’ to ease strict abortion rules after crucial vote – Europe live | Poland Europe

miko cervinski“By approving these four amendments, the Polish parliament has taken an important step towards ending Poland’s cruel and draconian restrictions on access to abortion,” Amnesty International Poland’s head of campaigns said after the vote. “Abortion has a devastating impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.” For the health of many people. ”

he added:

Poland urgently needs to reform its abortion laws, which endanger lives, endanger health and violate the country’s international and European human rights obligations, as well as the World Health Organization’s abortion care guidelines. .

As these amendments move forward to the next stage of voting, it is critical that politicians listen to civil society and those directly affected by a near-total abortion ban, and ensure that the laws comply with international human rights standards. be.

President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojdacalled for a special day of prayer on Sunday.

Wojda urged Poles to “dedicate this Sunday as a special day of prayer for the protection of unborn children.”

“We ask all churches in Poland to pray for this intention at every Mass,” he said.

A national March for Life is also planned for this Sunday.

“Today, Polish parliamentarians voted in favor of continuing the legislative process on all four bills to reform abortion laws,” the European Center for Reproductive Rights said. This is an important first step towards aligning the law with the majority of European countries, where abortion is legal on request. ”

Poland’s parliament has voted to send all four abortion bills to a special committee.

Two of the bills aim to legalize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the other focuses on decriminalization. The fourth, introduced by the conservative Third Way Alliance, calls for a return to the draconian 1993 law.

Roberto BiedronA MEP from Poland’s New Left party said the country needs to become “more European” when it comes to abortion rights.

“Yesterday, the European Parliament once again took a clear position: the right to abortion is a human right,” he said in an emailed statement.

“Access to abortion is an indisputable European standard and it is time for Poland to become more European in this respect as well,” he added.

Sylvia SpreckThe Polish-born independent member of the European Parliament and vice-chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality told the Guardian ahead of today’s vote that some organizations “aren’t right” when it comes to women’s rights. He said he hopes to continue with activities “as usual.”

“The debate on the abortion bill in Poland Seim shows that politicians and men and women from right-wing as well as centrist parties still want to play the role of gatekeepers for women’s rights,” Sprek said. said in an email.

“They still want to continue with business as usual when it comes to controlling women’s rights and decisions that should be women’s own decisions,” she said.

Sprek added:

Some of them may be afraid of the church, but many just don’t want women to make their own choices. There is a huge gap between the positions and opinions they present and those of NGOs and groups like Abortion Without Borders, even in the language they use.

This fear of changing the status quo is also shared by centrist parties in the European Parliament. Look at how many European People’s Party MEPs were so scared that they did not vote yesterday to include the right to abortion in the European Charter. fundamental rights.

Polish MPs consider four proposals to ease strict abortion regulations

Asifa Kassam

Poland’s parliament this week began a long-awaited debate on easing a near-total ban on abortion, in what campaigners describe as a major test for the country’s new government.

More than three years after hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets carrying placards that read “The Revolution Has a Womb” and “My Body, My Choice,” lawmakers have put forward four proposals. We are considering.

Two of the bills aim to legalize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the other focuses on decriminalization. The fourth, introduced by the conservative Third Way Alliance, calls for a return to strict laws negotiated between political leaders and the Catholic Church in 1993, and strengthened in 2020.

Today, lawmakers will vote on whether to send the bill to a select committee for further consideration.

The Polish Women’s and Family Planning Federation described the debate as a “massive test” of how parliamentarians view women’s rights.

“Women elected this government and our demands are clear: We want legal, safe and accessible abortion,” the group said. wrote on social media. “This week we’ll find out who deserves your vote and who you can never trust again.”

Read the full text here.

Hello. Welcome to the European blog.

Today we take a look at the latest in Poland’s long-running debate over abortion rules.

Stay tuned for more updates and send your comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.

In an Ipsos poll conducted for OKO.press and TOK FM, 35% of respondents said MPs should vote on the right to legal abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

23% were in favor of a referendum and 21% wanted a return to the old rules.

14% supported keeping the current rules in place.