Polish government activates ‘plan B’ in response to presidential veto on day-after pill

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticized President Andrzej Duda's recent veto of the day-after pill bill, suggesting that the President "missed the opportunity to take the side of women."

Donald Tusk.

Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Tusk took to Twitter on Friday, announcing the implementation of "plan B," a strategy to bypass the veto and make the contraceptive more accessible.

Prezydent nie skorzystał z okazji, żeby stanąć po stronie kobiet. Wdrażamy plan B.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) March 29, 2024

The contingency plan, which entails circumventing the veto through a decree aimed at pharmacists, ensures the pill's availability from May 1, Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna has said.

The vetoed amendment targeted the Pharmaceutical Law, specifically the accessibility of ulipristal acetate, a hormonal contraceptive for individuals over 15, without a prescription. This decision sought to reverse a 2017 regulation that made the "day after" pill prescription-only in Poland, aiming to align with the European Commission's stance on centrally authorized medicinal products within the EU.

Emergency contraception, designed to prevent conception post-unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure, works by blocking or delaying ovulation, not terminating an existing pregnancy.

(jh)

Source: PAP