Polish Lower House Passes Abortion Bills Facing Likely Veto

Poland’s lower house has approved two bills that would loosen the country’s highly restrictive abortion laws, a significant but limited step by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s divided governing coalition. One bill would partially decriminalize abortion assistance, while the other would again permit abortions in cases of severe fetal abnormalities, reversing a 2020 court ruling that helped establish the near-total ban. Neither measure would introduce abortion on request, and the bills must still pass the Senate and receive the president’s signature. Conservative President Karol Nawrocki has signaled opposition and is widely expected to veto them, leaving their prospects uncertain. The restrictions sparked mass protests and have remained a central point of political conflict in Poland.