The Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament) has passed an amendment to the Pharmaceutical Law, which makes one of the hormonal contraceptives – ulipristal acetate – available without a prescription for individuals over the age of 15.
Previously, the Sejm rejected a motion by the Confederation party to dismiss the project in its entirety. Motions by the minority were also dismissed.
In the final vote on the bill, 224 MPs voted in favor, 196 were against, and one abstained.
Since July 2017, so-called morning-after pills in Poland have been available only by prescription.
The essence of the proposed solutions is to repeal this provision, which will allow for the direct application of decisions by the European Commission on medicinal products authorized for marketing in the European Union in a centralized procedure.
Emergency contraception, commonly known as the “morning-after” pill, is used after unprotected sexual intercourse or when other applied methods of contraception have proven insufficient. It prevents fertilization by blocking or delaying ovulation.