The Polish government on January 24 approved a bill to make emergency contraceptive pills more accessible, reversing a restriction introduced by the previous nationalist government in 2017 and relaxing a near-total ban on abortion, beginning to fulfill promises made by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, reported Reuters.
The 2017 legislation, passed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, restricted access to the so-called “morning-after” pill, which was allowed to be sold without a prescription in 2015 following a European Commission decision.
Poland’s ruling coalition has promised to reverse some of the laws passed by the former PiS government, including one of Europe’s toughest abortion rules, in a bid to bring it into line with European Union (EU) democratic standards.
Prime Minister Tusk announced at a press briefing on January 24 that work on the emergency contraceptive pill had been finalised and a draft would be submitted to Parliament. Tusk had said that emergency contraception would be available over the counter for women over 15 years of age and expressed the hope that it would be supported by Parliament and approved by the President.
Tusk added that his party was ready to present a bill to Parliament “within hours” that would legalise abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
During its 2015-2023 rule, PiS, with the support of the Polish Catholic Church, also ended state funding for medical or in vitro fertilisation (IVF), while in 2020 a ruling by the country’s top court imposed a near-total ban on terminations of pregnancy, sparking widespread protests across the country. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
