BETA


2021/2925(RSP) Resolution on the first anniversary of the de facto abortion ban in Poland

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 132-p2

Events

2021/11/11
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 373 votes to 124, with 55 abstentions, a resolution on the first anniversary of the de facto abortion ban in Poland.

Parliament reiterated its strong condemnation of the illegitimate Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling of 22 October 2020 that imposes a near-total ban on abortion and of this blatant attack on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Poland. It called on the Polish Government to swiftly and fully guarantee access to and the provision of abortion services, to provide safe, legal, free and high-quality abortion services, and to make them accessible to all women and girls.

Attack on the rule of law and fundamental freedoms

Moreover, it strongly condemned all legislative proposals or restrictions that aim to further prohibit, criminalise and limit access to safe and legal abortion in Poland. The de facto abortion ban is putting women’s health and lives at risk and has already led to the death of at least one woman. Furthermore, Members stressed that this is a clear attack on the rule of law and fundamental rights and restricts the realisation of SRHR in Poland.

Member States are called on to cooperate more effectively in order to facilitate cross-border access to abortion , for example by granting Polish women access to free and safe abortion within national healthcare systems. The law limiting access to the emergency contraceptive pill should be repealed according to Parliament.

Parliament condemned the Polish Government’s abuse of the judicial system and of its legislative powers to instrumentalise and politicise the lives and health of women and LGBTI+ persons, leading both to their oppression and to discrimination against them.

The Commission is called on to:

- carry out a thorough assessment of the composition of the illegitimate Constitutional Tribunal underlining that the ruling on abortion is yet another example of the political takeover of the judiciary and the systemic collapse of the rule of law in Poland;

- support Member States in guaranteeing universal access to SRHR, including access to safe and legal abortion for all citizens;

- take concrete steps to protect SRHR in the EU more generally, starting with the establishment of an EU Special Envoy on SRHR;

- adopt guidelines for Member States to ensure equal access to SRHR goods and services in line with EU law;

- propose a comprehensive directive on preventing and combating gender-based violence in all its forms, including violations of SRHR.

Support for activists

Parliament stands in solidarity with Polish women and activists who continue to help women to access abortion care when they need it, as it is their body, their choice. It strongly condemned the excessive and disproportionate use of force and violence against protesters, including activists and women’s rights organisations, by the law enforcement authorities and by non-state actors such as far-right nationalist groups.

Education

Expressing deep concerns over the attempts to criminalise the dissemination of sexuality and relationship education in Poland, the Commission and the Member States, including Poland, are asked to make sure that students of all ages and sexual orientations receive age-appropriate and evidence-based comprehensive sexuality and relationship education, which is key to building young peoples’ skills to form healthy, equal, nurturing and safe relationships, free from discrimination, coercion and violence.

Documents
2021/11/03
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2021/11/03
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2021/10/20
   EP - Debate in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

Le premier anniversaire de l'interdiction de fait de l'avortement en Pologne - The first anniversary of the de facto abortion ban in Poland - Erster Jahrestag des De-facto-Abtreibungsverbots in Polen - B9-0543/2021 - § 11 - Am 5 #

2021/11/11 Outcome: +: 319, -: 214, 0: 24
ES FR DE SE PT BE NL FI DK CZ LT IE EE RO EL LU LV CY HR BG SK SI MT AT PL HU IT
Total
42
68
72
14
17
20
23
13
8
15
9
13
7
27
12
5
7
5
11
10
11
5
3
15
42
16
67
icon: S&D S&D
118

Netherlands S&D

4

Denmark S&D

Abstain (1)

2

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Greece S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

1

Slovakia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
84
3

Finland Renew

3

Denmark Renew

Abstain (1)

3

Lithuania Renew

1

Ireland Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

For (1)

1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Bulgaria Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

For (1)

1

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Poland Renew

1

Hungary Renew

2

Italy Renew

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

1

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
34

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Belgium The Left

For (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

For (1)

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
28

Germany NI

1

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

Croatia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Slovakia NI

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
46

Spain ECR

Against (1)

1

Germany ECR

Against (1)

1

Sweden ECR

Abstain (1)

3

Netherlands ECR

4

Czechia ECR

For (1)

3

Romania ECR

Against (1)

1

Greece ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

2

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

Against (1)

1

Slovakia ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: ID ID
56

Belgium ID

2

Finland ID

2

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

3
icon: PPE PPE
134

Sweden PPE

2

Finland PPE

2

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Latvia PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

2

Croatia PPE

3

Slovenia PPE

3

Malta PPE

2

Hungary PPE

Against (1)

1

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/2
date
2021-11-11T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0455_EN.html title: T9-0455/2021
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/1/summary
  • The European Parliament adopted by 373 votes to 124, with 55 abstentions, a resolution on the first anniversary of the de facto abortion ban in Poland.
  • Parliament reiterated its strong condemnation of the illegitimate Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling of 22 October 2020 that imposes a near-total ban on abortion and of this blatant attack on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Poland. It called on the Polish Government to swiftly and fully guarantee access to and the provision of abortion services, to provide safe, legal, free and high-quality abortion services, and to make them accessible to all women and girls.
  • Attack on the rule of law and fundamental freedoms
  • Moreover, it strongly condemned all legislative proposals or restrictions that aim to further prohibit, criminalise and limit access to safe and legal abortion in Poland. The de facto abortion ban is putting women’s health and lives at risk and has already led to the death of at least one woman. Furthermore, Members stressed that this is a clear attack on the rule of law and fundamental rights and restricts the realisation of SRHR in Poland.
  • Member States are called on to cooperate more effectively in order to facilitate cross-border access to abortion , for example by granting Polish women access to free and safe abortion within national healthcare systems. The law limiting access to the emergency contraceptive pill should be repealed according to Parliament.
  • Parliament condemned the Polish Government’s abuse of the judicial system and of its legislative powers to instrumentalise and politicise the lives and health of women and LGBTI+ persons, leading both to their oppression and to discrimination against them.
  • The Commission is called on to:
  • - carry out a thorough assessment of the composition of the illegitimate Constitutional Tribunal underlining that the ruling on abortion is yet another example of the political takeover of the judiciary and the systemic collapse of the rule of law in Poland;
  • - support Member States in guaranteeing universal access to SRHR, including access to safe and legal abortion for all citizens;
  • - take concrete steps to protect SRHR in the EU more generally, starting with the establishment of an EU Special Envoy on SRHR;
  • - adopt guidelines for Member States to ensure equal access to SRHR goods and services in line with EU law;
  • - propose a comprehensive directive on preventing and combating gender-based violence in all its forms, including violations of SRHR.
  • Support for activists
  • Parliament stands in solidarity with Polish women and activists who continue to help women to access abortion care when they need it, as it is their body, their choice. It strongly condemned the excessive and disproportionate use of force and violence against protesters, including activists and women’s rights organisations, by the law enforcement authorities and by non-state actors such as far-right nationalist groups.
  • Education
  • Expressing deep concerns over the attempts to criminalise the dissemination of sexuality and relationship education in Poland, the Commission and the Member States, including Poland, are asked to make sure that students of all ages and sexual orientations receive age-appropriate and evidence-based comprehensive sexuality and relationship education, which is key to building young peoples’ skills to form healthy, equal, nurturing and safe relationships, free from discrimination, coercion and violence.
procedure/title
Old
The first anniversary of the de facto abortion ban in Poland
New
Resolution on the first anniversary of the de facto abortion ban in Poland
docs/2
date
2021-11-11T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0455_EN.html title: T9-0455/2021
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/1
date
2021-11-11T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0455_EN.html title: T9-0455/2021
forecasts
  • date: 2021-11-11T00:00:00 title: Vote in plenary scheduled
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting plenary debate/vote
New
Procedure completed
forecasts
  • date: 2021-11-11T00:00:00 title: Vote in plenary scheduled
docs
  • date: 2021-11-03T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2021-0543_EN.html title: B9-0543/2021 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2021-11-03T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2021-0544_EN.html title: B9-0544/2021 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
events
  • date: 2021-10-20T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-9-2021-10-20-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
forecasts
  • date: 2021-10-20T00:00:00 title: Debate in plenary scheduled
commission
  • body: EC dg: Justice and Consumers commissioner: DALLI Helena
forecasts/0
date
2021-10-20T00:00:00
title
Debate in plenary scheduled
forecasts/0
date
2021-10-18T00:00:00
title
Indicative plenary sitting date