Comment: Legalize abortion now | tagesschau.de

A commission set up by the federal government recommends legalizing abortions in the first twelve weeks. Lissy Kaufmann believes the government should implement the recommendations now.

It is a milestone that, for the first time in Germany, a commission has dealt with abortion legally, ethically and medically – and recommended its legalization in early pregnancy. It is a long overdue milestone.

The commission’s experts are not creating any new social divides. They uncover old ones that had been hidden for a long time because of a lazy compromise. A compromise that personally affects tens of thousands of women every year. Forbidden but unpunished – that is not a situation.

Unintentionally pregnant – an emergency

An abortion is a serious procedure. A woman who has it done feels it physically and emotionally. Whether it’s a medical abortion or an operation. Which woman has an abortion carelessly? Estimated: Not a single one.

Becoming pregnant unintentionally is life-changing and presents moral and personal challenges. It’s an emergency. A woman who wants to have an abortion has serious reasons for doing so.

Legal or conditionally unpunished – there is a difference

And yes, it makes a difference whether this step is legal or – as is currently the case in Germany – banned and only unpunished under certain conditions.

In their plight, women in Germany still have to bear the burden of committing injustice to this day. Doing something dirty, something forbidden. Which, at best, no one should know. How can that be in 2024, in a western, democratic, liberal country?

Stigmatization for women and doctors

Paragraph 218 leads to stigmatization. The pregnant women who are often alone with their fears, worries and doubts. And the doctors who are only allowed to carry out the procedure under certain conditions. This has consequences: Doctors hold back, do not carry out procedures and if they do, they prefer not to make them public. Women have to look for them, and under time pressure. This is a huge hurdle for women in precarious life situations, with little education and a lack of language skills.

The Commission has provided a strong argument why reform is necessary from an ethical perspective: in the early stages, a fetus is not viable outside the womb. Here, the unborn child’s right to life weighs less heavily than the basic rights of the pregnant woman – i.e. the general personal right and thus the right to self-determination.

It’s time

The federal government has announced that it will now take a closer look at the results. These shouldn’t just remain empty words. The government needs to seriously consider the arguments.

And it should get serious about implementing the recommendations. There will be another election next fall. With the Union in government, legalization would not be possible. The traffic light should take advantage of the opportunity. It’s time. And she pushes.