Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his centrist coalition government suffered a bitter defeat in parliament on Friday, where a slim majority rejected legislation that would have relaxed the strict anti-abortion law.
Around 218 deputies voted against the law that would have decriminalized the performance or assistance of an abortion in Poland, with 215 in favor and two abstentions.
Tusk and his liberal parliamentary group of the Civic Coalition They supported the bill that would have lifted the current punishment for people who help women get abortions.
Those found guilty face sentences of up to three years in prison.
A strong setback for the Tusk Government
Liberalization was a key element of Tusk’s electoral bid to reverse various policies of the previous far-right government that have sparked mass protests.
However, some deputies of the broad ruling coalition, especially the agrarian Polish People’s Partybut also some others, voted against the change, exposing the cracks in the ruling bloc.
Of the 460 seats in the Lower House, Tusk’s Civic Coalition group has 157 seats, coalition members Third Way and the Agrarian Party They have another 63 votes, while the allied left party contributes another 23 votes, to jointly have the majority.
The left will present the bill again
The left-wing deputies, who promoted the project, promised to resubmit it repeatedly, until it is approved.
However the president Polish, the conservative Andrzej Dudaally of the party’s previous right-wing government Law and Justicedeclared this week that if it occurs, will not sign liberalization.
Poland, traditionally Catholic countryhas one of the strictest laws regarding access to abortion, which the NGOs Human Rights Watch and International Amnesty have been criticized for increasing risks for women and girls. Polish society is very confrontational in the legalization of abortion.
Electoral promise more than difficult to fulfill
The first Minister Donald Tusk took power in December, and in his electoral program he promised to legalize abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, but the conservatives in the ruling coalition they have boycotted the debate continuously.
In 2022, the polish activist Justyna Wydrzyńskawas sentenced to eight months of community service after being found guilty of provide abortion pills to a woman.
Amnesty Internationall, launched a campaign calling for her release, declaring that “Justyna’s conviction sets a dangerous precedent” for access to healthcare.
