The public proceeding on all 4 draft amendments to the abortion legislation, proposed by the Left, civilian Coalition and 3rd Road, was scheduled for 16 May at 10:00 p.m.
Organisations wishing to participate in this event must study at the latest 10 days before the gathering in the Sejm. This information was given on Tuesday during the extraordinary committee gathering for consideration of these projects.
The plan for an emergency committee gathering to consider draft laws on abortion rights contained only 1 point. It afraid a request to organise a public proceeding during which all 4 draft laws proposed by the 3rd Road, civilian Coalition and the Left will be discussed. The request for a public proceeding was made last week to the talker of the Sejm of Simon Holowna by the chair of the extraordinary committee, Dorothy Loboda (KO).
– For the first time in a very long time, projects relating to legal abortion went to the work of the Sejm. The majority of the Sejm decided to mention them to the extraordinary committee and set it up. We are well aware that these projects by a immense part of society are very awaited, of extraordinary interest, but besides of social emotion," said Dorota Loboda.
"We want the social side to participate in the lawmaking process and that is why present we decide to let citizens and citizens to talk during the public hearing," she added.
The committee members unanimously agreed to hold a public hearing. It will take place on Thursday, May 16, at 10:00.
Each organisation and all citizen shall have the right to submit their participation in accordance with the applicable rules. Dorota Loboda stated that the applicable information would be available on the Sejm's website and that the process itself would be transparent and fair. She besides informed that the deadline for reporting to organisations and individuals wishing to participate in the public proceeding was 10 days before the scheduled date of the event.
At the end of the meeting, Joanna Borowiak (PiS) pointed out the deficiency of a set timetable for the extraordinary commission. She said that alternatively of uncovering out about the plans of the media committee, members should have a clear plan. Dorota Loboda informed that the agenda would be set by the bureau of the extraordinary committee before the next meeting. This gathering will take place in May, after a public proceeding is scheduled.
Dorota Łoboda has said that she is presently gathering legal and substantive opinions on the compatibility of individual projects with the constitution, which is why it is hard to establish a precise timetable for the committee's work. She added that she would like meetings to be held about all 2 weeks, according to the agenda of the Sejm meetings.
Ms Loboda besides pointed out that the committee's aim was to combine all 3 proposals for legalising abortion into 1 document. It will besides be the task of the committee to search consensus within the coalition established on 15 October, although there are differences of opinion on abortion.
The second nonsubjective of the committee is to prepare a draft proposed by the Left, which provides for the abolition of penalties for assisting in abortion. Dorota Loboda assured that the committee would not be the place where these projects would be ignored or sidelined.
As KAI recalls: “Two projects on the liberalisation of abortion rules were submitted to the Sejm by the Left. 1 of them assumes legalization of abortion on request until 12 weeks of pregnancy without giving a cause, and by 24 weeks in the case of "when developmental or genetic abnormalities occur". On the another hand, the second concerns the deletion of the penalisation of abortion from the Criminal Code. Discontinuation of pregnancy until week 12 with the consent of a female would then not be considered a crime.
According to the Citizen Coalition project, “a pregnant person” has a “right to supply health” in the form of abortion during the first 12 weeks of its life.
The 3rd Way project, on the another hand, assumes a return to the 1993 alleged abortion compromise, namely the reversal of the 2020 Constitutional Court's judgment, which stated that abortion carried out in the case of a eugenic condition was incompatible with the Polish Constitution. 3rd Way politicians want a referendum in the next step.
Since 2021, after the judgement of the Constitutional Court of October 2020, abortion is allowed in Poland in 2 cases: erstwhile pregnancy threatens the life or wellness of a female and erstwhile it is the consequence of a prohibited act (rape or incest)".
jb
Source: KAI
