On Thursday, July 11, the Sejm applied for a complete rejection of the draft amendment of the Criminal Code, which proposes decriminalisation of abortion aid and abortion with the consent of the pregnant female until Week 12. The vote on this proposal will take place on Friday, 12 July.
During the second reading of the draft amendment of the Penal Code in the Sejm, left-wing associate Anna Maria Żukowska, who was the rapporteur of the Commission for the extraordinary examination of laws on abortion, recalled the broad debate and public proceeding which the committee had held with a large public participation.
Żukowska pointed out that most of the opinions and expertise requested on the task are positive, stressing that the proposed solution is now the most optimal and socially expected, as well as consistent in terms of logic and law.
The MP explained that the draft bill assumes decriminalisation of abortion aid. She stressed that abortion by a female herself is not punishable by Polish law, so the more you can't punish for helping in specified action.
Proposal to reject the project
During a heated debate in the Sejm on the draft amendment of the Criminal Code, PiS MP Lidia Burzyńska, powerfully opposed the draft, arguing that it was not in line with the constitution. She stressed that “Constitutions are respected. It is not just waved around.”
On the another hand, Monika Rosa from KO defended the project, claiming that it is consistent with the constitution and responds to human rights that are violated in connection with the ban on abortion in Poland. She stressed that the task is not a bill on legalising abortion, but aims to guarantee a minimum sense of safety for Poles and their families.
MP Żaneta Cwalina-Śląkowska from Poland 2050 – The 3rd Road drew attention to statistic that show that respective tens of thousands of illegal abortions happen annually in Poland. She stressed that women do not do them alone, and that those assisting them, specified as their partners, parents, or friends, are punished for up to 3 years in prison.
MP Urszula Pasławska from PSL – The 3rd Road expressed skepticism about the project's chances of entering into force, reminding that the president had already announced that he would not sign the bill. She proposed to consider a referendum on this issue, allowing Poles to decide and end the debate for many years.
Karina Bosak of the Confederacy announced that her club would vote against the draft amendment of the Criminal Code, which assumes decriminalization of abortion. During the debate in the Sejm, Bosak stressed that for her and her club this issue has a deep moral and ideological dimension.
"There are not many debates in this Chamber where life and death are decided. This is 1 of them. Our opposition to this task is moral and ideological. Killing unborn children is evil in pure form," said the MP. She added that life is simply a gift and a work to be protected, both in terms of the life of the parent and the child.
Karina Bosak besides warned that the bill would be a "protective umbrella" for abortion organisations which, after its adoption, would act without scruples, involving women in their "dead network". The MP assessed that the task was evil, inconsistent, irresponsible, unconstitutional, low-quality, rushed, chaotic and without appropriate consultation, and that it afraid "fundamental matters—life and death."
Interests of the abortion lobby
Karina Bosak of the Confederacy in the Sejm pointed to the actions of the abortion lobby, which she felt was actively affecting legislation. She noted that in the United States last year more than half of abortion was performed pharmacologically. “There is simply a strong abortion lobby in Poland, which allows women to get abortion pills online, without a doctor’s visit, without an ultrasound, without an evaluation of the prenatal age of the child”, Bosak said. She stressed that these organisations were active intensively in the committee's work so that the rules beneficial to them were passed.
Bosak proposed that Members visit online forums under the slogan "I regret my abortion", where many women compose that they were forced to abortion by partners and families.
"In the realities of the bill you are proposing, this coded consent will be unverifiable, due to the fact that it will introduce impunity of abortion before the 12th week of the prenatal life of the child" - noted the MP, adding that the law will let impunity of abortion in the first trimester.
Leftist task on decriminalisation of abortion
At the end of June, the Sejm Extraordinary Commission gave a affirmative opinion on the draft amendment of the Criminal Code, proposed by Lewica, which assumes decriminalisation of abortion assistance and abortion with the consent of the pregnant female until the 12th week of pregnancy. The draft was besides amended by co-author Anna Maria Żukowska.
Currently, Article 152 of the Criminal Code provides for a conviction of up to 3 years in prison for termination of pregnancy with the consent of a female in a way incompatible with the regulations and for assistance in specified abortion or coercion. The draft amendment deletes these paragraphs by introducing a fresh provision: "Who, with the consent of a woman, interrupts her pregnancy but in cases mentioned in the Act, if more than 12 weeks have elapsed since the beginning of her pregnancy, is subject to a conviction of imprisonment or imprisonment of up to 5 years."
The task besides takes into account that doctors, nurses and midwives do not commit a crime if abortion after week 12 is essential to save the wellness or life of a woman, in case of a advanced probability of serious foetal defects or an incurable life-threatening disease.
In addition, the amendments to the draft supply that medical personnel are not liable for criminal liability if the harm to the body or to the wellness disorder of the conceived kid is due to the medical procedure essential to defend the wellness or life of the parent or child.
The vote on the motion to reject the draft amendment of the Criminal Code will take place on Friday, July 12.
jb
Source: basins.pl, pulsemedicine.pl
