67.2% of Poles support liberalising abortion rules — Notes from Poland

In Poland, 67.2% of respondents support liberalising abortion legislation. At the same time, 37.7% of those surveyed supported introducing the option to terminate a pregnancy on request up to the 12th week, according to an SW Research survey for the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, as reported by Notes from Poland.

What changes respondents support

Another 29.5% of survey participants would prefer to restore the rules that were in force before the 2020 ruling of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. At that time, the law allowed pregnancy termination in three cases, and this approach is often called the “abortion compromise” in the country.

The current rules were supported by 16.2% of respondents, while another 6% favoured tightening them. A total of 10.6% of study participants were undecided. Among women, 73.8% of those surveyed supported liberalisation, compared with 60.3% among men.

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Current legislation and draft laws

Following the 2020 ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal, abortions in cases of severe fetal abnormalities were banned in Poland. Currently, the law permits pregnancy termination if the pregnancy resulted from a crime, including rape or incest, or if it threatens the woman’s life or health.

Last week, a majority in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, supported a draft law intended to reverse the consequences of the 2020 ruling, but which does not introduce abortion on request. Lawmakers also approved another draft law on decriminalising assistance to women in obtaining an illegal abortion.

After consideration in the Senate, the documents will be sent to President Karol Nawrocki. He may sign them, veto them, or refer them to the Constitutional Tribunal for assessment. The publication notes that the president, who has spoken out against abortion, may block initiatives aimed at easing the legislation.