Germany presents a reform to end the rule that prohibited advertising abortion services

BERLIN, March 9. (DPA/EP) –

The Government of Germany has presented this Wednesday a bill to eliminate from the Penal Code the prohibition of advertising services to interrupt pregnancy, thus paving the way for its abolition by having a majority in both houses of the German Parliament.

The bill has been presented by the Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, who has described as “intolerable” that German legislation not only continues to prohibit medical services from providing information about this process, but also to threaten legal proceedings to those they do.

In this sense, the Minister for Women, Anne Spiegel, has defended that “in the future, doctors should be able to offer information about their health services without having to fear prosecution or stigmatization.”

In this way, we are strengthening women’s right to self-determination in the long term,” stressed Minister Spiegel.

In Germany, where the government was run by conservative Christian Democrats for some 16 years until the center-left coalition came to power in December, abortion is illegal in principle but not punishable under certain conditions.

A woman can have an abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if she seeks advice and presents a certificate to the doctor. She is exempt from sanction even after that period of time if the woman’s life is in danger or she is at risk of serious physical or mental harm.