Odwołania do prawa naturalnego w wystąpieniach posłów na posiedzeniach Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

Abstract

The article presents the results of a mainly qualitative study of the speeches of deputies at the sittings of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland between 1997 and 2021 in terms of MPs’ references to natural law. On the basis of the Sejm transcripts, the deputies’ understanding of natural law and their perception of the relationship between this law and the statutory law were determined; examples of legal norms and rights that were assigned the natural law status were indicated, as well as the argumentative role of references to natural law in the parliamentary debate was presented. While approving the use of jusnaturalist argumentation in parliamentary discourse, the author also raised some reservations as to the practice of using this conceptual category by deputies. He also listed possible reasons for the gradual decrease in the number of cases of invoking natural law in the speeches of deputies at the sittings of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland in subsequent terms.