EU hearing on Poland abortion laws held today

The EU Committees on Women’s Rights and Civil Liberties convenes a public hearing on abortion laws in Poland.

It comes as former Prime Minister and leader of the conservative Law and Justice Party Jarosław Kaczyński last week claimed Poland’s low birth rate is caused by women drinking as much as men. The hearing will present EU lawmakers with a list of women who have died due to tightened abortion laws in Poland.

The European Parliament condemned Poland in a 2021 resolution after their Constitutional Court ruled that women can terminate pregnancies only in cases of rape, incest or if their life is in danger.

Only 107 legal abortions were carried out in Poland in 2021, representing a 90% decline from the previous year. Most likely occurred in the 27 days before the new laws came into effect in late January. Previously, Poland averaged 1,087 annual legal abortions.

Expect the committees to issue another resolution condemning Poland’s abortion laws. Despite repeated attempts by the EU to urge the Polish government to guarantee access to safe and legal abortion services to women, it is likely Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party will ignore the hearing’s recommendations while it remains in power.