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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
One of the parties in Poland’s ruling coalition has submitted a bill to parliament that would provide free contraception for women aged 18 to 25, as well as cheaper access for women above that age.
“Conscious motherhood and equal access to contraception are the foundation of a modern and responsible state,” wrote Poland 2050 (Polska 2050), a centrist party that is a junior partner to the main ruling Civic Coalition (KO).
Polska zajmuje ostatnie miejsce w Europie pod względem dostępu kobiet do antykoncepcji i wiedzy o planowaniu rodziny. Lepsza sytuacja jest nawet w Rosji i na Białorusi ‼️
Jesteś kobietą w wieku 18–25 lat? Z myślą o Tobie złożyliśmy projekt ustawy, który zapewni darmowy dostęp do… pic.twitter.com/0xCZayngMP
— Polska 2050 (@PL_2050) September 26, 2025
“For years, Poland has been ranked last in European rankings assessing access to contraception,” noted one of the party’s MPs, Barbara Oliwiecka, announcing the plans. “We are behind countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary. Polish women don’t deserve this.”
The situation in Poland is “worse even than in authoritarian Russia”, added her fellow MP, Ewa Szymanowska. Since 2019, Poland has been bottom of the European Contraception Policy Atlas ranking compiled by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights.
The problem is “not that you cannot buy anything at the pharmacy”, says Poland 2050. “It is about the fact that the state does not reimburse pills, intrauterine devices, or patches, there is no easy access to a prescription, and no reliable education.”
“That is why we have submitted a bill that changes this,” they added. “Because contraception cannot be a luxury, just normal support – first and foremost for women in more difficult situations.”
Poland has again been rated as the worst country in Europe for access to contraception in an annual ranking, a position it has held since 2019 https://t.co/2sCvLG9kHJ
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 21, 2025
In the formal justification for the proposed legislation, the party writes that, since a near-total ban on abortion was introduced in 2021 under the former conservative government, the situation for women’s reproductive rights has significantly “worsened”.
As a result, “appropriate action” needs to be taken to protect women’s health and their right to make decisions regarding reproduction, says the party, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
As well as providing free contraceptives to 18-25-year-olds, the law would expand the list of such medications and devices available with state subsidies to women over the age of 25. The party estimates that the measures would cost around 500 million zloty per year.
The relevant legislation has already been submitted to parliament. However, while it is likely to be welcomed by The Left (Lewica), another junior partner in the ruling coalition, it remains unclear if it will receive the support of the centrist KO or the more conservative Polish People’s Party (PSL).
The opposition – consisting of the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) and far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) – are certain to oppose it. Even if the bill is approved by parliament, it appears like that conservative, opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki would veto it.
Poland 2050 submitted a similar bill on free contraception to parliament last year but it never even came up for a vote.
When it came to power in 2023, the current government also pledged to end the near-total ban on abortion introduced under PiS. However, it has failed to do so, amid a split between more conservative and liberal elements of the ruling coalition over how far the law should be liberalised.
Poland's government came to power exactly one year ago on a pledge to end the country's near-total abortion ban.
But that promise remains unfilled, leaving many women angry and disillusioned, write @AlicjaPtak4 and @Chrisatepaauwe https://t.co/q9w8NqP4mI
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 13, 2024
In 2017, the former PiS government ended prescription-free access to emergency contraception (the so-called morning-after pill), a move that reproductive rights groups say makes obtaining them more difficult for most and virtually impossible for some.
Restoring over-the-counter access to emergency contraception was a key promise of KO when it replaced PiS in power in December 2023. Last year, the government approved a bill to that effect, which was passed by parliament.
But then-President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, vetoed it over concerns about access for girls as young as 15. In response, the health ministry introduced a regulation permitting pharmacists to prescribe the pill, eliminating the need to visit a doctor.
The government has introduced a labelling system for and interactive map of pharmacies offering morning-after pills without a doctor’s prescription.
The measures are intended to circumvent the president's veto of a law introducing prescription-free access https://t.co/N9As7sqC8q
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 11, 2024
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition/Unsplash
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
