{"id":10809,"date":"2026-10-23T01:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T01:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=10809"},"modified":"2026-10-23T01:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T01:42:16","slug":"thousands-protest-across-poland-for-access-to-free-and-legal-abortions-human-rights-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=10809","title":{"rendered":"Thousands protest across Poland for access to free and legal abortions | Human Rights News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Demonstrators gathered on the sixth anniversary of a near-total abortion ban imposed by Poland\u2019s highest court.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By <\/span>AFP and The Associated Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 23 Oct 2026<\/span>23 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Thousands of people have protested in more than 20 towns and cities across Poland, calling for access to free and legal abortion<\/a> services.<\/p>\n

Demonstrators gathered on the sixth anniversary of a near-total abortion ban<\/a> imposed by Poland\u2019s highest court.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Donald Tusk\u2019s government promised to liberalise abortion laws ahead of its 2023 election victory, but divisions within the coalition have slowed progress.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s conservative President Karol Nawrocki.<\/p>\n

Passing the draft laws now, a year before the next parliamentary election, is a case of \u201ctoken gestures\u201d rather than a genuine effort to reform abortion law, said Zofia Marcinek of the Abortion Dream Team, a reproductive rights activist group in Warsaw.<\/p>\n

She said the liberal government knew the draft laws stand no chance of withstanding Nawrocki\u2019s veto, and has merely tried to create the impression of taking action because it needs women\u2019s support to win elections next year.<\/p>\n

In the capital, Warsaw, about 1,000 protesters demonstrated in front of parliament despite rain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last six years, nothing has really changed,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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Two young women demonstrate with placards reading \u2018How much longer do we have to wait?\u2019 as they attend a nationwide pro-abortion rights protest [Mladen Antonov\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Abortion laws tightened<\/h2>\n

Restrictive abortion laws have been in place in Poland since 1993, with Polish women leading calls for the legalisation of abortion ever since. In 2016, nationwide demonstrations took place, with women donning black as a sign of protest.<\/p>\n

But rather than being relaxed, Poland\u2019s abortion laws were tightened further, banning abortions of foetuses with congenital defects in 2020 under the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government.<\/p>\n

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. Women who undergo abortions, including by taking pills, do not face criminal responsibility under Polish law. But people helping them, including doctors and family, can potentially be prosecuted.<\/p>\n

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. But activists say tens of thousands of abortions happen yearly outside of hospitals.<\/p>\n

Campaigners organising Thursday\u2019s protests are claiming the Tusk government has betrayed Polish women \u2013 and that Tusk\u2019s claims that women\u2019s access to abortion has improved during his administration have actually complicated getting care for some women.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s promises act as a type of disinformation,\u201d Marcinek said. \u201cWomen 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. So they come to us when it\u2019s very late and very complicated and expensive to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Demonstrators gathered on the sixth anniversary of a near-total abortion ban imposed by Poland\u2019s highest court. By AFP and The Associated Press Published On 23 Oct 202623 Oct 2026 Thousands of people have protested in more than 20 towns and cities across Poland, calling for access to free and legal abortion services. Demonstrators gathered on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t