In the poor countries of the global South, around 14 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have a child every year, around half of them unintentionally. Early pregnancies deprive girls and young women in developing countries of access to education, exacerbate poverty and mean death for many. This is not only a problem in the Global South.
On the occasion of the 100th International Women’s Day, the President of the HVD, Prof. Dr. Frieder Otto Wolf, explains:
“Despite over one hundred years of struggle, there is still structural discrimination against women – worldwide, in Europe and also in Germany. As an organization of practical humanism, the HVD sees this as an important challenge to its socio-political work and also to its own organizational culture. With this in mind, we support the declaration “On the 100th International Women’s Day”, which is supported by the HVD Berlin:
On the occasion of the 100th International Women’s Day: Sexual self-determination and family planning are human rights!
We demand:
Education and access to contraception for all
Sexual education must be accessible to all girls and boys.
The ability to prevent pregnancies, i.e. the self-determined decision on the timing and number of children, is a human right.
Contraceptives must be available to all women and couples of reproductive age.
In Germany, the human right to family planning is not guaranteed for all women and couples, especially since the Health Modernization Act (GMG) came into force on 1 January 2004 and due to the Hartz IV reform, which does not provide for cost-covering financing of contraceptives.
“Morning-after pill” also available without prescription in Germany
The morning-after pill is used for emergency contraception after unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent conception. It is a recognized and effective means by which women can independently and immediately prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Women can already obtain the morning-after pill without a prescription in 17 European countries and in the USA since 2006.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of the morning-after pill as emergency contraception. In Germany, on the other hand, there is still a prescription requirement, which makes the necessary rapid application more difficult. We call on the Federal Government and the Federal Council: Follow the recommendation of the “Expert Committee at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices”. Remove the prescription requirement for the morning-after pill.
No patronizing of women during abortion
Perfect contraceptive behavior is a fiction and corresponds to technicist thinking that does not correspond to the reality of lived sexuality. In the event of unwanted pregnancies, women and couples must be able to decide without bureaucratic hurdles and without paternalism whether they want to carry a pregnancy to term or prefer a termination.
The inclusion of § 218 in the German Criminal Code and the mandatory counseling before an abortion, which has been in place throughout Germany since 1993, constitute disenfranchisement and discrimination against women. Women and girls in Germany must finally be given the right to make their own decisions about their bodies and their lives Qualified counseling must be provided on a voluntary basis. Throughout Germany, women must be provided with the various methods of ending unwanted pregnancies. Ensuring this is a public task.
