Poland's parliament backs easing of abortion laws, among the strictest in Europe

Lawmakers in Poland have voted in favor of measures to ease the country's near-total ban on abortion, setting the stage for a potential clash over women's rights with the country's conservative president. With their vote on Friday, parliamentarians endorsed several proposals to relax the abortion restrictions, including one from newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk's party to decriminalize abortions up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

The proposals, however, are likely to face opposition from President Andrzej Duda, who is aligned with the staunchly conservative Law and Justice Party, known by its Polish initials PiS. 

Poland's current abortion law, introduced in 2020 by a PiS-backed court, is widely regarded as one of the strictest in Europe. It allows for abortions only in very limited circumstances. Even in cases of severe fetal abnormalities or rape, abortion is not permitted under the current law.