The story so far: Hundreds of women gathered outside Polish Parliament (Sejm) in Warsaw on Thursday (October 22, 2026), braving heavy rain to demand access to free and legal abortion, as demonstrations spread across more than 20 cities in Poland. Signalling rejection of the government’s record, protesters raised pro-choice slogans in a show of anger at Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s failure to deliver on his promise to liberalise the country’s strict abortion laws.
In non-immediate cases, the decision must be confirmed by a panel of medical specialists. The demonstrations came just two days after the lower house, the Sejm, passed two bills seeking to ease the country’s restrictive abortion laws. The proposed changes seek to roll back some of the restrictions on the rights of abortion imposed under the previous government, but their passage into law remains uncertain, with President Karol Nawrocki expected to veto the measures. When Mr. However, disagreements between the coalition’s more conservative and liberal factions stalled reform efforts, fuelling criticism that the government had failed to honour its electoral commitments. Both bills would need to clear further legislative and presidential hurdles before becoming law. Even if enacted, they would not legalise abortion on request and would leave Catholic Poland’s near-total ban unchanged. The reform did not legalise abortion on request
Tusk’s coalition, comprising parties ranging from the left to the centre-right, came to power in December 2023, replacing the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government, it pledged to liberalise abortion laws. Protesters have dismissed the new measures, calling it token gestures rather than a genuine effort to reform the law, arguing that the government is seeking to demonstrate progress on an issue that could influence its prospects in 2027 parliamentary elections. Spain permits abortion on request up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, while Ireland allows it up to 12 weeks. Finland also permits abortion on request during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, following a reform that took effect in 2023. Portugal permits abortion on request up to 10 weeks. Before 2023, doctors who performed an abortion to save a woman’s life could face up to four years in prison, while women could face up to three years. In 2023, the country introduced a narrow exception to the near-total ban, allowing doctors to terminate a pregnancy when a woman faces an immediate risk to her life or when her health is in grave jeopardy that could lead to death.
Malta has historically maintained one of the world’s most restrictive abortion laws, criminalising the procedure in almost all circumstances.
