Following a decision by MPs in Poland not to pass two bills seeking to ban sexuality education and further restrict abortion, and instead forward them onto subcommittees for further debate, effectively freezing them for the foreseeable future, Amnesty International Poland Director, Draginja Nadazdin said:

“While it is shameful that parliamentarians did not reject these two retrogressive proposals unequivocally, today’s vote is a testament to the power of protest, even and especially, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The voices of the thousands who took part in creative protests this week may have been muffled by face masks, but their message was nonetheless heard loud and clear.

While it is shameful that parliamentarians did not reject these two retrogressive proposals unequivocally, today’s vote is a testament to the power of protest, even and especially, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Draginja Nadazdin, Amnesty International

“In a country where sexual and reproductive rights are already extremely limited, education about sexuality is crucial to help young people make decisions about things such as consent, contraception and prevention of sexuality transmitted infections. We will continue to watch the authorities’ every move to ensure that these regressive bills do not proceed any further when they inevitably resurface.”

The dates of the bills being considered by the Parliamentary subcommittees have not yet been announced.