“A pregnant woman’s consultation must be open-ended, because this is the only way to ensure that the rights of the pregnant woman are protected and that the developing child is given the best possible chance of life,” says Dr. Horst Groschopp, President of the HVD.
The issue of abortions on medical grounds, also known as “late-term abortion”, has been the subject of heated debate in all parties in the Bundestag for several months. There have been numerous draft laws on this subject. A compromise is now to be found at today’s meeting of the Committee for Family Affairs, after an agreement was reached in advance by some representatives of the respective drafts. The newly developed draft by the MPs around Christel Humme and Elke Ferner (both SPD) is to be supported, which contains, among other things, the key points that a medical consultation of the woman must take place before a prenatal examination. This is because pregnant women are often unable to deal with the results of such an examination without experiencing severe psychological stress. The right to be unaware of any diseases of the embryo must also be preserved. In addition to the right – but not the obligation – to psychosocial counseling, which is documented in the maternity record, the doctors’ duty of confidentiality regarding the results of a prenatal examination is important for the relationship of trust between doctors and pregnant women. Passing on data for centralized data collection is superfluous and harmful. A rigid time limit of three days after notification of the test result before the pregnancy can be terminated should also be rejected.
“Such a time limit does not meet the needs of the individual woman at all. It does not correspond to our humanistic view of humanity if women are forced into a rigid timeline in such a conflict situation. The different needs of each woman must be taken into account,” explains Dr. Horst Groschopp. The regulations introduced by the CDU/CSU MP Singhammer and others contradict the free decision-making interests of women and also do not serve the protection of unborn life, which the HVD also regards as an important good.
It remains to be hoped that common sense will prevail over the regulatory frenzy in this area.
