Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in more than 20 Polish cities on October 22, 2026, demanding free and legal abortion — marking six years since the Constitutional Tribunal ruling that banned abortion in cases of severe fetal defects and created Poland's near-total abortion ban. The rallies, called by the Federation for Women and Family Planning, were fueled by anger at what activists call the Tusk government's broken promise to liberalize the law.
Red cards in the rain
Marchers carried red cards and placards reading "Abortion ban kills women" and "Women's hell continues," placing symbolic red cards at local offices of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition. Police estimated around 1,000 demonstrators in both Warsaw and Wroclaw, with about 400 marching in Poznan and 300 in Katowice. No clashes or arrests were reported, and the protests remained peaceful despite rain.
The trigger: days earlier, on October 20, the Sejm passed two abortion bills — one partially decriminalizing abortion assistance (217-213), another restoring the fetal-abnormality ground for legal abortion (233-203). Activists dismissed both as "breadcrumbs" and "token gestures" doomed to be vetoed by President Karol Nawrocki, passed just a year before parliamentary elections. Zofia Marcinek of the Abortion Dream Team said the government "knew the draft laws stand no chance of withstanding Nawrocki's veto" and called its promises "a type of disinformation."
The other side: "protection of life from conception"
President Nawrocki's office said he would "objectively and substantively examine" the legislation, while his chief of staff reiterated that the president "supports the protection of life from conception to natural death." The Law and Justice party — which championed the 2020 ruling — cast 137 votes against the assistance bill, and Tusk's own coalition partner, Deputy PM Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, voted against decriminalization.
What's next
Neither bill is on the Senate's draft agenda for October 27, though the agenda may still change. If the Senate takes no resolution within 30 days, the acts are deemed adopted — and then face the president's signature or veto. With parliamentary elections due in autumn 2027 and polls showing an even split, Poland's abortion battle is far from over.
Takeaway: Six years after the 2020 ruling, neither side has moved an inch — and the women on Poland's streets say they are done waiting.
Watch: Protests sweep Poland as women demand abortion rights and an end to strict laws
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0