Poland’s government votes to ease abortion laws in challenge to conservative president

Key Points:

• Poland's lower chamber of parliament approved two bills loosening abortion restrictions, ending criminal penalties for assisting abortions and re-legalizing terminations for severe fetal abnormalities, marking progress for Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition nearly three years after taking power.
• The bills do not allow abortion on request up to 12 weeks as promised during the 2023 election, reflecting coalition divisions and conservative opposition within the government.
• The bills now move to the Senate and face likely veto by President Karol Nawrocki, aligned with the nationalist Law and Justice party, who has pledged not to sign abortion liberalization legislation.
• Overriding a presidential veto requires a three-fifths majority in the Sejm, which Tusk's coalition lacks, making the bills' ultimate fate uncertain despite their passage in the lower chamber.
• Women's rights groups criticized the bills as insufficient, noting they do not expand abortion access to the level available in most EU countries, while some coalition members acknowledged the reforms as incremental steps toward broader reproductive rights.