Thousands of people have protested in more than 20 towns and cities across Poland, calling for access to free and legal abortion services.
asserted
Thousands → protest → services
Demonstrators gathered on the sixth anniversary of a near-total abortion ban imposed by Poland’s highest court.
asserted
Demonstrators → gather → court
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items- list 1 of 4A look at some of the world’s toughest abortion laws
- list 2 of 4How women are resisting Poland’s abortion ban
- list 3 of 4Poland’s ban on abortion forces many to seek help in Germany
- list 4 of 4Women call for tougher EU stance on Poland’s abortion laws
Currently, abortion is only legal in Poland when a pregnancy results from a criminal act like rape or incest, or when it threatens the life or health of the mother.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government promised to liberalise abortion laws ahead of its 2023 election victory, but divisions within the coalition have slowed progress.
asserted
divisions → resist → progress
The demonstrations come days after parliament passed two bills that would ease abortion restrictions in the mostly Catholic country, but are likely to be vetoed by Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki.
asserted
that → come → President
Passing the draft laws now, a year before the next parliamentary election, is a case of “token gestures” rather than a genuine effort to reform abortion law, said Zofia Marcinek of the Abortion Dream Team, a reproductive rights activist group in Warsaw.
asserted
Marcinek → pass → Warsaw
She said the liberal government knew the draft laws stand no chance of withstanding Nawrocki’s veto, and has merely tried to create the impression of taking action because it needs women’s support to win elections next year.
asserted
it → say → elections
In the capital, Warsaw, about 1,000 protesters demonstrated in front of parliament despite rain.
asserted
protesters → demonstrate → rain
“Over the last six years, nothing has really changed,” said 36-year-old Emilia Niemiec, who manages the AboTak abortion centre, which provides women with access to resources, including pills, and a space to be able to seek support or carry out a pharmacological abortion.
asserted
which → change → abortion
Abortion laws tightened
asserted
laws → tighten → ?
Restrictive abortion laws have been in place in Poland since 1993, with Polish women leading calls for the legalisation of abortion ever since.
asserted
women → lead → abortion
In 2016, nationwide demonstrations took place, with women donning black as a sign of protest.
asserted
women → take → protest
But rather than being relaxed, Poland’s abortion laws were tightened further, banning abortions of foetuses with congenital defects in 2020 under the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government.
asserted
laws → relax → government
Despite the laws, abortions remain common in Poland, with the overwhelming majority carried out by women at home using pills obtained from outside the country.
asserted
majority → remain → country
Women who undergo abortions, including by taking pills, do not face criminal responsibility under Polish law.
asserted
who → undergo → law
But people helping them, including doctors and family, can potentially be prosecuted.
asserted
people → help → doctors
Polish hospitals performed 573 abortions in the first half of 2026, compared with 452 in the whole of 2022 before Tusk came to power, according to data from the National Health Fund.
uncertain
Tusk → perform → Fund
But activists say tens of thousands of abortions happen yearly outside of hospitals.
asserted
thousands → say → hospitals
Campaigners organising Thursday’s protests are claiming the Tusk government has betrayed Polish women – and that Tusk’s claims that women’s access to abortion has improved during his administration have actually complicated getting care for some women.
uncertain
access → organise → women
“The government’s promises act as a type of disinformation,” Marcinek said.
asserted
Marcinek → act → disinformation
“Women getting pregnant hear the prime minister say that everything is OK, that there is access to abortion, and then they end up in the hospital and see that is not the case.
asserted
that → get → hospital
So they come to us when it’s very late and very complicated and expensive to help them.”
asserted
it → come → them
The Aporia
