Polish Women Protest Government Over Stalled Abortion Law Reforms

Women are planning street demonstrations in more than 20 Polish cities and towns to protest the lack of free and legal abortion access. Protesters accuse Prime Minister Donald Tusk's liberal government of failing to fulfill its promise to relax Poland's strict abortion laws, despite recent parliamentary passage of two bills aimed at easing these rules. The measures are widely expected to be vetoed by the conservative President Andrzej Duda.

Reproductive rights activists argue that passing the draft laws, a year before the next parliamentary election, represents "token gestures" rather than a genuine effort to reform the law. They suggest the liberal government understands the bills will likely not withstand a presidential veto and is attempting to create the appearance of action to garner women's support in upcoming elections.

Poland's current abortion law, in place since 1993, permits legal abortions only in cases of severe fetal abnormality, risk to the mother’s life and health, or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Polish women have advocated for legalization since the law's inception, notably through the "Black Protest" demonstrations that began in 2016.

Poland's abortion laws were further tightened in 2020 under the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government, banning abortions for fetuses with congenital defects. Despite these restrictions, abortions are common in Poland, with the majority occurring illegally via pills obtained from abroad. While women undergoing these procedures do not face legal repercussions, those who assist them, including doctors or family members, can be prosecuted.

Poland has one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, with only Malta imposing stricter limits. Tusk’s pro-European coalition won the 2023 election partly on a pledge to liberalize abortion access. However, in 2024, Tusk stated his government could not overcome a presidential veto on broader reforms, shifting focus to measures preventing hospitals from refusing legal abortions on religious grounds. Tusk previously stated that "the state will increasingly effectively stand on the side of the woman when she is making dramatic decisions in her life."

Data from the national health fund indicates that Polish hospitals performed 573 abortions in the first half of 2026, an increase from 452 in the entirety of 2022. However, activists estimate tens of thousands of abortions still occur annually outside of hospitals.

Organizers of the current protests contend that the Tusk government has betrayed Polish women, and that the government's claims of improved access have inadvertently complicated care for some women. Activists report that when women hear assurances of access and then encounter difficulties in hospitals, they seek help very late in their pregnancies, making the process more complicated and expensive. This perceived improvement also makes it harder for Polish women's rights groups to secure international funding.

In response to the legal limitations, the Abortion Dream Team established an "abortion clinic" in Warsaw in 2025, offering information and support for women seeking abortions. This September, they launched an "Abortomat" parcel locker dispensing abortion pills nearby. Operated by the international non-profit Women Help Women, the "Abortomat" allows women to retrieve pills the next day, reducing the typical two-week wait for home delivery. This service is particularly crucial for women who cannot safely receive packages at their own addresses due to unsupportive family members or abusive partners.

The Abortion Dream Team stated that assisting with an abortion is a criminal offense in Poland, and even passing pills between individuals can be considered a crime. Their initiative aims to circumvent these restrictions and modernize access to abortion services.