Press
Until now, abortions in Germany have been regulated by the penal code. The Greens want to change that – the FDP is hesitant.
The Greens continue to push for a change in the law on abortion – despite the reluctance of their coalition partner, the FDP. “The first trimester of pregnancy should be regulated outside the penal code,” says party leader Ricarda Lang BuzzFeed News Germany from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Criticism comes from the Union faction. Conservatives sometimes vehemently oppose such initiatives. CDU/CSU faction vice-chair Andrea Lindholz described a new regulation of abortions as a “sociopolitical ideological project of the traffic light coalition – at the expense of children”. Lang, on the other hand, points to the well-being of women who are unintentionally pregnant.
Paragraph 218 regulates abortion in the criminal code
Abortions are currently illegal and are regulated in Section 218 of the Criminal Code. An abortion in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy is not punishable if the woman seeks counseling beforehand. An abortion is also not punishable if there are medical reasons or if it is carried out because of rape.
The abolition of the paragraph has been debated for years. Most recently, a commission appointed by the federal government recommended decriminalizing abortions in the first weeks of pregnancy.
Green Party leader Ricarda Lang calls for “decriminalization of abortions”
On Sunday (23 June) the German Women’s Council spoke out in favour of a new regulation. The demand: Abortions at the request of the pregnant woman should be regulated with a time limit outside the penal code, thus decriminalising the pregnant women and doctors affected. Ricarda Lang now praises the Women’s Council’s decision as an “important signal for the strengthening of women’s rights in Germany”.
“A new regulation of abortion would improve the care of unwanted pregnancies, which is urgently needed
is required,” says Lang BuzzFeed News Germany from IPPEN.MEDIA. The Greens’ goal remains: “The Decriminalization of abortion must be further advanced.”
This is an article by BuzzFeed News Germany. We are part of the IPPEN.MEDIAnetwork. Here you can find all contributions from BuzzFeed News Germany.
SPD parliamentary group wants to regulate abortions outside of criminal law
The SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag is also committed to abolishing the criminalisation of abortion. The MPs approved a corresponding position paper at their parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday afternoon (25 June). It states that, in the SPD parliamentary group’s view, abortion should no longer be punishable in general in the future. Nevertheless, there should still be “clear legal requirements” for this, according to the paper, which was submitted to the dpa is present.
The Greens want legal changes during this legislative period. It is unclear whether this will actually happen. The FDP-led Federal Ministry of Justice does not seem to have much motivation to now unravel the compromise reached on abortion. The ministry is currently carefully evaluating the commission’s report, which also addresses surrogacy and egg donation, said a spokeswoman for the dpa. (With material from dpa)
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