Justice
Commission recommends criminalizing abortions
According to Section 218, an abortion is generally punishable unless it takes place within the first twelve weeks and the woman has sought advice beforehand. photo
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
Should abortion no longer be a criminal offense in the future? Experts have grappled with this difficult question for months. Now they want to present their results.
Recommendations from an expert commission are expected in the debate about new rules for abortions. According to a “Spiegel” report, a working group of independent experts from the federal government wants general impunity for Recommend abortions within the first twelve weeks.
The news magazine referred to the final report of the commission that the federal government commissioned to examine this question. According to “Spiegel”, the federal government’s experts suggest reconsidering the fundamental illegality of abortions in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. The report will be officially presented next Monday.
When asked, the Health and Family Ministries initially did not want to comment on the “Spiegel” report and referred to a planned presentation of the commission’s recommendations next week. The Family Ministry of Lisa Paus (Greens) recalled the independence of the experts and the confidentiality of the content discussed.
“The commission will present the results of its work to the federal government on April 15 in the form of a final report. This final report will not only contain the results and any recommendations for action, but also the corresponding justifications,” it said.
Paragraph 218: Abortion is generally punishable
The federal government set up the commission shortly after it took office. It should examine whether abortions should continue to be regulated in the criminal code. According to Section 218 of the Criminal Code, an abortion is generally punishable in Germany unless it takes place within the first twelve weeks and the woman has sought advice beforehand.
Abortion is also not a criminal offense if there are medical reasons or if it is carried out because of rape. Family Minister Paus had indicated several times in the past that she could imagine a new regulation.
The red-green-yellow federal government had already introduced far-reaching changes to the law in connection with abortions in the first year of its term in office: it abolished the controversial paragraph 219a, which had previously regulated the “ban on advertising” for abortions and had repeatedly led to that doctors were committing a criminal offense if they publicly provided information about abortions.
Abolishing paragraph 218 would be even more far-reaching, as it would no longer criminalize abortion. The AfD and the Union strictly reject such a new regulation.