In May, the court found a 1996 law removing most bans on abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy as violating the constitutional right to life. The law remained in effect for six months, until parliament could review the ruling. But with a new Solidarity-led alliance in control of parliament, the former ruling ex-Communist Democratic Left Alliance was unable to muster the two-thirds vote necessary to overrule the court decision.
The high court's decision came just two days before Pope John Paul's visit to his homeland of which he said, "a nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope."