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The nationalist Law and Justice ( PiS ) party is facing a decisive break from eight years of rule in Poland, but civic rights organizations worry that issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ discrimination wo n’t be the top priority of the new administration.
Three opposition parties—the moderate Civic Coalition, the center-right Third Way, and the Left—won 248 votes in the 460-member parliament on October 15. President Andrzej Duda first permitted PiS to attempt to win a vote of confidence in parliament, so their alliance, to be led by former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has n’t yet taken energy.
A Tusk-led state may consider office next month, and that work is almost certain to fail.
There are great anticipation for a dramatic change.
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In addition to cleaning up state media and state-controlled businesses of PiS supporters, looking into and prosecuting the outgoing government for wrongdoing, promoting a shift toward greener energy, and reestablishing ties with Western allies like France and Germany, the incoming administration also promises to erase criminal reforms that sparked years of disputes with the EU.
The partnership also pledges to strengthen Poland’s history with regard to the rights of women, punish hate speech directed at LGBTQ+ individuals, overturn a 2020 court ruling that ended the majority of abortion rights, and place more emphasis on education and healthcare.
The second bill approved by the post-election parliament earlier this week may reinstate funding for in vitro procedures, which the PiS government had blocked, as a sign of the impending change. Additionally, the Left proposed two costs to deregulate abortion regulations, which were sent for review to determine whether they are in line with EU law.
However, activists worry that because of the incoming administration’s agenda, their causes wo n’t get much attention.
According to Antonina Lewandowska, the advocacy coordinator for the Polish Foundation for Women and Family Planning,” we are very aware that we need to get rid of the corrupt management, deal with the judicial problems, and address issues with free speech and the media.” ” Children’s rights can easily be lost, and our responsibility is to ensure that they are not.”
Because access to safe abortion “is a matter of life and death” for women, she warned,” We will be diligent and keep our eyes open.”
There is” a spark of hope” that the Civic Alliance may end decades of backtracking on gender bias in Poland, according to Mirosawa Makuchowska, a advocate with the LGBTQ+ rights organization Campaign against Homophobia Poland.
However, she continued, it is also “worrying” and somewhat “discouraging” that the coalition’s more liberal members “are saying that government needs to focus on bigger problems… no hurry about LGBT or pregnancy rights.”
People did not just voting the PiS out; they also voted for a unique perspective, according to Makuchowska.
reassuring phrases
Some of those worries have already been addressed by Tusk.
On the campaign trail, he declared that women’s freedom are” the No.” 1 problem” in the nation, promising to implement gender equality policies if elected, reduce the legal process for transgender people, look into establishing same-sex legal partnerships, and relieve abortion laws.
The Third Way coalition, which consists of the progressive Poland 2050 and the politically conservative Polish People’s Party, presents a challenge for the Left and Civic Coalition, despite their support for loosening abortion laws and not just overturning the 2020 judge decision.
Szymon Hoownia, the head of Poland 2050 and the new speaker of parliament, stated that his group is split on the issue of liberalizing pregnancy beyond repealing the 2020 ruling.
I will most likely be a minority in my club, where everyone votes in accordance with their conscience, if this bill liberalizing [abortion ] up to 12 weeks without restrictions is submitted to the parliament. I wo n’t vote in favor of it,” he said.
Tusk’s group avoided most sociable legislation during its earlier term in office from 2007 to 2015, avoiding social collaborations and refusing to wage an abortion war with the Catholic Church. However, the times of PiS law have caused thoughts to change.
Agnieszka Kociaska, an associate professor with a focus on gender studies at the University of Warsaw, said that” when Tusk ] and his party were in power …before PiS, they did n’t do anything to liberalize abortion, and they completely ignored this, as well as all kinds of women’s rights, LGBTQ rights.” She also added,” Some of the biggest protests in the history of this country have been to defend abortion rights… It is not something that the new government can ignore.”
She predicted that although it will be challenging and time-consuming, the new coalition will probably force” some deregulation” on those issues.
In a television interview this year, Left-leaning MP Krzysztof Miszek stated that he believed there might be an opportunity for the majority on both civil alliances and changing the abortion law. He said,” I think we’ll be positively surprised.”
Conflicts within the coalition are n’t the only thing that could impede social legislation. Duda, a politically conservative PiS supporter, must sign every new laws. His political reject cannot be overridden by the new state because it lacks the necessary seats.
action is required
However, those who support shift want actions, not justifications.
According to ILGA- Europe’s monthly assessment, Poland is the EU member state that fails to uphold and protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
The executive director of the NGO, A. Chaber, said,” It’s been a long wait… and there is much harm to reverse.” The LGBTI activity and the voters have sent a very clear message that these changes are priorities, and there is definitely obvious wish for them.
Chaber specifically cited a motion by local PiS-led authorities to consider their capital or larger area “free of LGBT ideology.” By demonizing LGBTQ+ people who participated in the 2019 parliamentary election ( won by PiS ) and Duda’s successful 2020 reelection campaign, it was part of a larger campaign to mobilize right-wing voters.
The areas were condemned all over Europe, and the European Commission threatened to stop providing money to any authority that had such measures in place, forcing the majority of governments to surrender.
According to Chaber, the proposals made LGBTQ+ people feel unpleasant in some areas of their own country and contributed to “demonizing” them.
Not only is the laws being changed, but protesters also want the government to apologise for prejudice in the past.
Makuchowska remarked,” The state needs to say:” We’re guilty.” ” There needs to be a metaphorical sign because there has been so much wrong in recent years.”
