Poland parliament rejected the plan for a near-total ban on abortion.
Poland’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly to reject a controversial citizens’ bill for a near-total ban on abortion.
Under the rejected plans, abortion would have been allowed only in the event of a direct danger to the mother’s life, but no longer – as at present – in cases of rape, incest or serious health issues for the mother or when the baby is likely to be permanently handicapped.
Poland already has among the tightest abortion laws in Europe, and the proposal sought to ban all abortions unless the mother’s life was at risk.
MPs voted to reject the bill by 352 votes to 58.
The bill came from an anti-abortion citizens’ initiative that gathered some 450,000 signatures and had backing from the Catholic Church.
Abortion is already largely banned in Poland. The only exceptions are a severe and irreversible damage to the foetus, a serious threat to the mother’s health, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.