Reform of Section 218: Greens: Union should not block legal abortions

The Green parliamentary group appeals to the Union parliamentary group not to prevent a decision by the Bundestag on the push for the legalization of abortions. “I really strongly advise the FDP and the Union not to sink this group proposal in the Legal Affairs Committee,” says the Parliamentary Managing Director of the Greens, Irene Mihalic.

The chairman of the Union parliamentary group, Friedrich Merz (CDU), must understand that this question “is not a major social conflict that he is trying to conjure up”. Rather, there is a social and a parliamentary majority for the cross-party proposal. “As of now, the initiative has already brought together 327 MPs under this group proposal,” says Mihalic.

The Green politician explains that the group behind the application can obtain a first reading in the plenary session, which will then be discussed in the responsible legal committee. Whether there will be a final discussion and vote in the plenary session during this electoral period will then be decided by the committee. She advises everyone “not to block this,” she says.

The obligation to provide advice should remain

Abortions are currently illegal according to Section 218 of the Criminal Code. In fact, they remain unpunished for the first twelve weeks if the woman seeks advice beforehand. Abortion also remains unpunished if there are medical reasons or if it is carried out because of rape. The abolition of the paragraph has been debated for years.

According to the MPs’ proposal, which will be discussed in plenary for the first time this Thursday, abortions should become legal up to the 12th week. The obligation to provide counseling would remain, but without the current obligation to wait three days between counseling and abortion. If an abortion is carried out without a certificate of consultation, only the doctor should in future be liable to prosecution. The woman would remain unpunished.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz reacted angrily to the proposed law. The aim of the initiative is to attempt to “abolish paragraph 218 as a quick process at the end of the electoral term”. It is an issue “that polarizes the country like no other, and that is more likely than any other to trigger another completely unnecessary major socio-political conflict in Germany.”