Ladies and Gentlemen,
On the occasion of a necessary new regulation after the possible abolition of § 218 StGB, we would like to cordially invite you to our evening event “Late Termination of Pregnancy” on January 29, 2025 in Berlin.
According to a commission set up by the coalition government, it is not only the 96,000 or so early abortions performed each year that must be legal. The experts also emphasize (even if, in relation to this, there are only around 4,000 legal late abortions) that the necessary medical indication in Germany urgently needs to be reformed. According to the current regulation of § 218a StGB, this is formally limited after the 12th week of pregnancy to a serious or even life-threatening threat to the woman’s health, but in practice the embryopathic indication, which was abolished in 1995, is still included, in that a prenatally diagnosed disability of the foetus is generally regarded as a “serious impairment of the mental health of the pregnant woman”. In contrast, the social, family or financial circumstances of the pregnant woman are not taken into account in the case of a late-term abortion. A corresponding extension of the indication is therefore urgently required, which would have to include not only social circumstances but also the developmental status of the fetus. We want to take a closer look at the legal and ethical inconsistencies and lack of transparency of the current regulations and propose ideas for new regulations.
The evening will be hosted by Dr. phil. Christine Zunke, our Federal Commissioner for Women* and Diversity. The introductory lectures will be given by Kirsten Achtelik (social scientist, journalist) as well as Marina Mohr and Judith Hennemann (Cara – Counseling Center for Pregnancy and Prenatal Diagnostics). In the subsequent panel discussion, we look forward to a multi-faceted debate with Prof. Rebecca Maskos (Disability Studies) as well as representatives of the Humanist Association of Germany and the Working Group on Women’s Health in Medicine, Psychotherapy and Society. At the end of the event, you in the audience will also be able to ask questions and take part in the discussion.
Late-term abortion
An event organized by the Humanist Association of Germany – Federal Association
Wednesday, January 29, 2025, 6 to 9 p.m.
Haus des HUMANISMUS, Potsdamer Str. 157, 10783 Berlin
To enable us to plan ahead, we would ask you to send feedback on your participation to hvd@humanismus.de.
The event “Late-term abortion” is a follow-up event to our public debate on “Women’s rights and fetal protection!” on November 13, 2024, which focused on the regulation of time limits outside of criminal law.
Press inquiries on the topic can be sent in advance to presse@humanismus.de. A detailed brochure from the Humanist Association of Germany on the subject of abortion can be found
We look forward to seeing you and remain with kind regards
Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands – Bundesverband
