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Does paragraph 218 fall?
Greens call for rapid legalization of abortions
Green Party politician Ulle Schauws in the Bundestag: “Unintentionally pregnant women need our support”
© S. Gabsch/Future Image / Imago Images
Should abortion be regulated differently in Germany? The government is showing restraint – despite clear recommendations from experts. The Green Party’s women’s policy spokeswoman is now increasing the pressure.
The Green Party’s women’s policy spokeswoman in the Bundestag, Ulle Schauws, is calling for a rapid new legal regulation abortion. “It would be important that we use the remaining time in this legislative period to re-regulate abortions in Germany,” said the Green politician star. “With its report, the commission made it clear that there is a need for action and that the current regulation is no longer up to date.”
Schauws calls for abortions to be decriminalized, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. “This is also important with regard to the care situation for unintentionally pregnant women, which has deteriorated significantly in recent years and will continue to deteriorate if we do not take action to counteract this,” said the MP.
“More and more doctors who perform abortions are retiring soon and abortions are not part of medical training.” Unintentionally pregnant women need “our support and it is time to remove the hurdles that arise from the regulation in the criminal code.”
On Monday, a commission set up by the traffic light government to examine new legal regulations on abortion presented its results. According to the experts, the legislature should legalize abortion at least in the early phase of pregnancy in order to take the rights of potentially unwanted pregnant women into account better than before.
They also see room for maneuver for the legislature in the weeks that follow. To date, abortion has been regulated in Section 218 of the Criminal Code, which generally prohibits the procedure – with a few exceptions. However, women will not be penalized if the procedure takes place within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy and they have sought advice beforehand.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann reacted cautiously
However, no quick new regulations are expected. Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann spoke on Monday about a very sensitive topic that deeply affects personal areas. It is important to weigh up different goods against each other. “And we want to have a debate that will ultimately help us move forward on this issue, and that’s not something you can have under time pressure and ‘now we’ll do it really quickly’. That would really be the wrong approach.”
The expert report should now be the basis for a debate between politics and society, said Hoffmann. One can expect a longer social debate. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wanted this discussion to be conducted in a calm and sensitive manner. This is linked to the hope that polarization on the issue of abortion can be avoided in Germany.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) reacted cautiously to the recommendations. “The extent to which it would be possible to regulate abortion outside the criminal code is an extremely demanding legal, but above all ethically extremely sensitive and important question,” he said after handing over the commission’s report to the federal government.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) also spoke of a difficult upcoming debate and called for people to remain objective. The issue has the potential to divide society, warned Lauterbach. Paus described the recommendations as a “good basis for the open and fact-based discourse that is now necessary.”