The Sejm decided on Thursday to refer the draft anti-abortion and sex education bills to the health and social policy and family committees to work on it and possibly submit another version.

First, the Sejm refused to reject the bill. 187 deputies supported the motion, 254 were against. Then the request for immediate second reading was put to the vote, which was also rejected. 375 deputies voted against, there were 68 in favor and 7 abstentions. despite the vote a 52 deputies of the PIS wanted to proceed with the project. Therefor the “Ban abortion”project was directed to the health committee and the social policy and family committee.

“I am a strong opponent of eugenic abortion and I believe that killing children with disabilities is simply a murder” – Andrzej Duda – President of Poland 

Jarosław Kaczyński, President of the PIS said that they will pass the bill without protest when it is possible.

4 years ago, in 2016, a hundred of thousands people protested against very hard ban of abortion banning the possibility of abortion even if there is a risk of death for the mother, if the fetus is deformed or dies. In 2017, a new law was about to be debated but after other protests this law was postponed. 

Now the ban returns to the Sejm. Because of the lockdown opponents found alternatives to protest from home with umbrellas at the windows, online with petition and publications on social medias, in the streets with posters and traffic jam yesterday, Tuesday, in the center of Warsaw. Today, Wednesday, dozens of people protested next to the Sejm.

On Tuesday the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, urged the Sejm to not pass the bills. Each year in Poland about 10 000 illegal abortions are made. 

Photo: Czarny Protest – 01/10/2016 – Wikimedia