Polish premier greenlights legislation legalizing civil partnerships, decriminalizing abortion

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday that his government will legislate to legalize civil partnerships and decriminalize abortion.

"We will vote for the decriminalization of abortion. We will vote for civil partnerships as a government project, although not everyone is convinced. We are finishing the discussion, it's time for decisions," Tusk wrote on X.

The Left, the smaller party in Tusk’s three-way coalition, has been pushing for the move since the government took office at the end of last year, but has been stymied by opposition from the Third Way grouping -- a more conservative voice in the predominantly Catholic country.

In June, the Sejm extraordinary committee considering draft laws on the right to terminate pregnancy, voted in favor of one of the Left's bills, which assumes decriminalization of acts related to abortion. Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

President Andrzej Duda announced Tuesday he would veto the bill.

“For me, abortion is killing people,” he said in an interview for a television channel. "Women who decide to terminate their pregnancies should not be punished in any way," but there remains the issue of people who "would somehow participate in this procedure illegally."

The government's list of legislative works published a notice Monday on the draft act on civil partnerships. According to the proposed provisions, a registered partnership will be open to two unmarried adults, regardless of gender.

The draft law on civil partnerships assumes that its planned date of adoption by the government is the fourth quarter of 2024. Only then will it be submitted to parliament.

The proposed law is currently at the inter-ministerial consultations and public consultations stages.