The debate was held after a group of left-wing MPs proposed removing the three-year prison sentence for performing an abortion with the woman's consent.
Despite calls from critics, lawmakers decided against rejecting the bill outright in the first reading; instead they opted to advance it for further consideration, state news agency PAP reported.
The proposed measure represents the second attempt by the lower house of Poland's parliament to pass legislation that would partially decriminalize abortion assistance.
In July, Polish lawmakers rejected a similar proposal, with votes against it from the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS), the far-right Confederation group, and most of the rural-based Polish People's Party (PSL).
The newly proposed changes to the Penal Code include repealing provisions that impose up to three years in prison for performing an abortion without complying with the 1993 Family Planning, Protection of the Human Fetus, and Conditions for Legal Abortion Act.
The new bill also proposes that abortion with the woman’s consent, in violation of the Family Planning Act, would carry a penalty of up to five years in prison or restriction of liberty only if the pregnancy exceeds 12 weeks.
Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula said that the main goal is to replace previous "anti-women and anti-family policies" with a new approach aimed at "restoring a sense of safety."
The first step in this process is the proposed decriminalization of abortion assistance, Kotula said.
Poland's Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula speaks in parliament on April 11, 2024. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
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Source: IAR/PAP/TVN24/X/@KotulaKat
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