World News

Women plan protests in more than 20 Polish cities over abortion access

Activist Zofia Marcinek calls two bills passed Tuesday a token gesture likely to be vetoed.

Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 12:14 UTC2 reports

The short version

Women plan demonstrations in more than 20 Polish cities on Thursday over limited access to free, legal abortion.[ABC News]
Protesters accuse Prime Minister Donald Tusk's liberal government of failing to fulfill its promise to relax strict abortion laws.[ABC News]
Parliament passed two bills on Tuesday easing abortion rules, but they are likely to be vetoed by President Karol Nawrocki, so the outcome remains unresolved.[ABC News]

Women planned demonstrations in more than 20 Polish cities and towns on Thursday to protest the lack of access to free, legal abortion.[ABC News]
Parliament passed two bills on Tuesday aimed at easing abortion rules, and the measures are likely to be vetoed by conservative President Karol Nawrocki.[ABC News]
Zofia Marcinek of the Abortion Dream Team calls the bills 'token gestures' rather than a genuine effort to reform abortion law, ahead of the next parliamentary election.[ABC News]
Polish hospitals performed 573 abortions in the first half of 2026, compared with 452 in all of 2022, according to national health fund data.[ABC News]
Activists say tens of thousands of abortions happen each year outside hospitals.[Associated Press]
Activists operate a parcel locker nicknamed 'Abortomat' across from parliament in Warsaw that dispenses abortion pills, operated by the non-profit Women Help Women.[Associated Press]

Whether President Karol Nawrocki will veto the bills has not been decided; a veto is described as likely, not confirmed.[ABC News]
The claim that tens of thousands of abortions occur yearly outside hospitals is an activist estimate that the reporting does not independently verify.[Associated Press]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.