The bill was opposed by 218 members of parliament, while 215 supported it and two abstained. After the results were announced, the opposition erupted in loud applause.
The opposition party, Law and Justice, filed a motion to reject the draft in the Sejm on Thursday. The Left, in turn, appealed for support for the bill.
The day before the vote, a second reading and debate on the amendment took place. Earlier, President Andrzej Duda announced that he would not sign the bill if it landed on his desk.
“No, I will not sign it. For me, abortion is killing people, depriving people of life,” he said.
The amendment proposed ending criminal liability in the event of termination of pregnancy up to the 12th week with the woman’s consent.
It also included the exclusion of criminal liability for termination of pregnancy with the woman’s consent in the event of a severe, irreversible impairment or incurable disease of the fetus.
How the MP’s voted
The Law and Justice, Confederation and PSL (a part of the governing coalition) MP’s opposed the changes to the Penal Code.
There were 24 PSL MPs who voted against it, while four members of the Civic Coalition club did not participate in the vote.
The abstention by the PSL MP’s and three members of Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition - Roman Giertych, Krzysztof Grabczuk and Waldemar Sługocki - highlight some of the internal divisions that currently exist within the government.
The bill is the first of four currently under consideration. Two of the remaining bills, now under review by the commission, propose to legalize abortion on request.
If the parliament passes any of these bills, they will move to the Senate for adoption and then to the President for approval.
Poland is one of only two EU countries where abortion on request remains illegal. Under its Penal Code, providing or assisting with abortion is currently punishable by up to three years imprisonment.
