Is Abortion Legal in Germany ?
By Joana M . -O .
If you follow feminist news in
Germany , you may have seen a lot of articles in June 2022 about Paragraph 219a of the Strafgesetzbuch ( German criminal code ) being struck down . This was a definite win for reproductive and women ’ s rights , but what was the law about ?
Paragraph 219a said that doctors could not advertise abortion services . The consequence was that the law criminalized doctors for providing information . For example , one doctor was accused of breaking the law for having a link on their website to an informational website on women ’ s health published by the German government . Doctor Kristina Hänel included the words “ abortion services ” on her website and became one of the doctors targeted by a man who had made a point of searching through the internet for doctors to report to the police . Dr . Hänel became the face for the fight to change this law , as it was her case that went all the way to the German Supreme Court . The court sided with Dr . Hänel , and soon the Bundestag voted to take the law off the books . Dr . Hänel ’ s book ( in German ) is highly recommended for anyone who wants to know more about her decades-long activism : Das Politische ist persönlich . Tagebuch einer Abtreibungsärztin .
It is not ideal for women to feel they are doing something illegal when making choices about their own bodies . Pro-choice activists in Germany have set their eyes on getting Paragraph 218 off the books and have joined forces as the Bündnis für sexuelle Selbstbestimmung . Their website is in German .
www . sexuelle-selbstbestimmung . de
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