Marcin Kierwiński, secretary general of the Civic Platform, announced that the Civic Coalition will submit its own draft bill liberalizing abortion law. Earlier, the Left announced the submission of a project on this matter.
Kierwiński in TOK FM was asked whether KO would support the bill announced by the Left, providing for the right to abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Co-chairman of the New Left Włodzimierz Czarzasty informed that such a project could be submitted to the Sejm as early as Monday.
– The Civic Coalition will also submit such a project, although we will not outdo each other whether it will be on Monday, Tuesday or a week later – replied the PO secretary general.
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“Women’s rights will be extremely important for this government”
Referring to the fact that in the coalition agreement – initialed on Friday by the leaders of KO, Poland 2050, PSL and the New Left – there are no provisions on the right to abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, or on calling a referendum on this issue, Kierwiński emphasized that it is no secret that there is a “small but significant difference of opinion” in the coalition on this subject.
– We didn’t hide it. All parties talked about it very honestly during the election campaign, the politician noted. As he explained, the provisions in the coalition agreement are intended to give a clear signal “that women’s rights will be extremely important for this government” and that “many solutions will be introduced that should be the norm, but which are not in force today.”
Kierwiński: we agree on the first step
Kierwiński also emphasized that in matters relating to abortion, the common denominator is the first step included in the agreement, i.e. the repeal of the judgment of the Constitutional Tribunal of October 22, 2020, which stated that the provisions allowing abortion in the event of severe and irreversible impairment of the fetus or an incurable disease that threatens its life are unconstitutional.
– As for the second step – yes, indeed, there are different concepts. We, as the Civic Coalition, will do everything to implement our concept, he announced.
The election program of the Civic Coalition, in the so-called 100 specifics, includes the demand that abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy be legal, safe and accessible, and that no hospital operating under National Health Fund he could not use the conscience clause and refuse the procedure.
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