“The Sejm voted on the abortion [proposals] prepared by the Left and referred them to a special committee in the Sejm,” Biedroń said. “This is good news, especially for Polish women who have been fighting for their rights for 30 years. We keep working!”
Sejm Marshal Szymon Hołownia, a member of the center-right Third Way and chair of the legislative body, did not indicate that he would vote for the proposal. Rather, in a post on X, he said the chamber’s decision to advance the bills was based on respect for the democratic process.
“We promised to stop arguing and we kept our word,” Hołownia said.
“We believe that the greatest chance for change is provided by a referendum, but we voted for all the [proposals],” he added. “We did it out of respect for democracy and concern for the durability of the coalition. Now we leave the fate of these bills in the hands of the committee members.”
Third Way has not formally endorsed the plan to legalize abortion through 12 weeks of pregnancy. Rather, the party’s official position has been that the Polish people should decide the country’s abortion laws via a national referendum.
The country is governed by a three-prong coalition. The New Left and Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition have both endorsed the plan to legalize abortion through 12 weeks. Third Way, which is part of that coalition, has not formally endorsed the plan. The conservative Law and Justice and the Confederation Liberty parties, which are in the minority, are opposed to the proposals.
Dariusz Matecki, a member of Law and Justice, handed out figurines of an unborn child that show the child’s development by 10 weeks of pregnancy — a time in which the child could be aborted under the proposals.
“This educational model raises awareness of what a 10-week-old unborn baby looks like,” Matecki said in a post on X. “… Many [members of Parliament] from Tusk’s coalition reacted with simple aggression and vulgarity.”
Poland and Malta are the only two countries in the European Union that have strong pro-life protections for unborn children.
Credit: Source link
