Poland News Today: Sejm Passes Abortion Bills, Border Verdict, UPA Row
The essentials: The Sejm passed two bills easing Poland abortion ban, but President Nawrocki is expected to veto them. A court acquitted a soldier over the 2023 border shooting, Poland condemned a Ukrainian region plan to honour the UPA, and abortion-rights rallies are planned in 27 cities today.
The Sejm has passed two bills liberalising Poland's near-total abortion ban, setting up a confrontation with President Karol Nawrocki; a military court has acquitted a soldier who shot a refugee on the Belarus border; and Warsaw has condemned a Ukrainian region's plan to honour wartime nationalist formations. Here is today's Poland news in English.
Parliament approves abortion liberalisation, veto looms
Poland's lower house approved two bills on Tuesday evening that would loosen the country's strict abortion laws, in the government's first successful move on the issue since taking power in December 2023. The first bill would again permit terminations when a severe foetal abnormality is diagnosed, reversing the Constitutional Tribunal's October 2020 ruling that removed that ground and created the near-total ban. The second would decriminalise helping women obtain unlawful abortions.
Both now go to the Senate and then to President Nawrocki, who is aligned with the right-wing opposition and is expected to veto them - his chief of staff reiterated this week that the president "supports the protection of life from conception to natural death", though the presidential palace has also signalled openness to talks. Rights groups called the bills a "small-scale step" that changes little for most women, and rallies demanding full decriminalisation are planned in 27 cities today, Thursday - the sixth anniversary of the 2020 ruling.
Why it matters for expats: abortion law remains one of Poland's most polarising issues, and today's protests may affect city-centre traffic; more broadly, the bills' likely veto shows how divided government limits policy change ahead of next year's elections.
Data source: Notes from Poland and The Guardian, 21 October 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
Soldier acquitted over 2023 border shooting
A Warsaw garrison military court has acquitted a Polish second lieutenant, identified only as Adam L., of negligent use of a weapon after he accidentally shot a Syrian refugee who had crossed from Belarus in November 2023. The refugee had sought 50,000 zl (about 11,500 EUR) in compensation. Defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, whose ministry funded the soldier's defence, welcomed the verdict, saying no negligence in border service had been proven. The case has been a touchstone in the debate over the military's role in the migration crisis on the Belarus border, where soldiers have supported the border guard since 2021.
Data source: Notes from Poland, 21 October 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
Poland condemns Ukrainian region over UPA commemoration
The Polish foreign ministry condemned a decision by Ukraine's Lviv regional council to declare 2027 a year honouring the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), its commander Roman Shukhevych, and OUN figure Oleh Olzhych, calling the move "contrary to European values" and warning it could undermine recent reconciliation progress. The UPA is honoured by many Ukrainians as independence fighters but is remembered in Poland for the 1943-44 Volhynia massacres of Polish civilians. Defence minister Kosiniak-Kamysz called the resolutions unacceptable and urged Ukraine's authorities to distance themselves.
Data source: Notes from Poland, 21 October 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
Also today
- Poland has detained a Polish-Ukrainian military reservist on suspicion of espionage, prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday.
- Polish leaders across the spectrum condemned US defence secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks downplaying the role of American allies in Afghanistan as "scandalous".
- Rallies marking the sixth anniversary of the abortion ruling are planned in 27 Polish cities today; expect gatherings and possible traffic disruption in city centres this evening.
Data source: Notes from Poland, 19-21 October 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Did Poland legalise abortion?
No. The Sejm passed two bills easing the near-total ban - restoring terminations for severe foetal abnormalities and decriminalising assistance - but they still need Senate approval and the president's signature, and President Nawrocki is expected to veto them.
What are the planned protests about?
Rights groups have called rallies in 27 cities on Thursday, 22 October, the sixth anniversary of the 2020 Constitutional Tribunal ruling, demanding full decriminalisation and publicly funded access to abortion.
What happened at the Belarus border?
A military court acquitted a Polish soldier who accidentally shot a Syrian refugee in November 2023, finding no proven negligence; the defence minister welcomed the verdict.
