Debate about abortion law: Bishop warn of social division!

The debate about abortions in Germany is picking up on speed. The focus is on the legal new regulation of paragraph 218 in the Criminal Code, which the Bundestag is currently discussing. Evangelical State Bishop Heike Springhart commented on the upcoming changes and warned of possible polarizations in society. The abortion is currently a criminal offense, but is not punished if it takes place within the first twelve weeks after a consultation, such as Süddeutsche.de

The Bundestag has discussed a draft law on the partialization of abortions, which is supported by MPs of various political groups. The proposal stipulates that only the doctors are punishable if an abortion is carried out without a consultation. In this case, women should remain unpunished, and medical reasons or demolitions after rapes should not be punished. A majority of 367 MPs in the Bundestag would be necessary to adopt the new regulation. However, Springhart warns against being too hasty in legislation and emphasizes the importance of social responsibility by not stigmatizing parents who decide to demolish.

legislation and social effects

Currently the new regulation of paragraph 218 is controversial. In the penultimate week of the year, the Bundestag recorded the discussion about the abortion without a clear majority, such as zdf.de MPs argue that the current law affects the medical care of women. While 96% of the approximately 106,000 abortions took place in 2023 in accordance with the advisory regulation, MPs primarily advocate the Greens, the SPD and the left to remove pregnancy departure from the Criminal Code up to the 12th week. There should be an obligation to consult, but without the currently required three -day waiting time.

However, there are also resistance in political space: the Union faction leader Friedrich Merz and FDP general secretary Marco Buschmann reject a reform before the new elections. The AfD also clearly positions itself against legalization of abortions. The framework conditions in Germany are in contrast to other European countries, in which sometimes more generous regulations exist, such as in the Netherlands, where abortions up to the 24th week are permitted. France allows this until the 14th week, while in Poland the laws for abortions are the strictest in Europe.