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After almost six years of debate on a legal basis for living wills, the members of the German Bundestag today decided in the final vote by a clear majority in favor of the draft put forward by the parliamentary group led by SPD MP Joachim Stünker.
Today, the Bundestag passed a new regulation on living wills.

The German Bundestag has been discussing the topic of living wills for almost six years. A cross-party agreement is now within reach, but the chances of it being passed are slim. The Humanist Association of Germany (HVD) is now calling for those responsible for this and the impending consequences to be clearly named.

The Bundestag recently passed the “Census 2011 Act”. We also ask about religions and world views. In addition, a comparison is made with existing data from the registration authorities.

The Humanist Association of Germany (HVD) rejects the proposed amendment to the Pregnancy Conflict Act, which aims to introduce compulsory counseling with a predetermined objective.

Dr. Horst Groschopp, President of the Humanist Association of Germany, describes the statements in the bishop’s Easter sermon as “a demonstration of reverse logic”.

During the first reading of the Pregnancy Conflict Act in the Bundestag on December 19, 2008, the parties were unable to agree on a common approach. Consultations are now taking place in the Bundestag committees on family, senior citizens, women and youth, health and law. Together with “pro familia”, twelve organizations (see below), including the Humanist Association (HVD), have now addressed the members of the committees in a joint “open letter” and spoken out against changes to the Pregnancy Conflict Act.

The cross-party group motion presented today would make it virtually impossible to let people die peacefully and do without artificial feeding by PEG tube in a permanent coma or with severe dementia.

Tomorrow, Friday 4 July, there will be a debate in the German Bundesrat on a proposal by several CDU/CSU-led federal states to ban and criminalize “organized” euthanasia or assisted suicide.

On June 26, tomorrow, the time has come in the German Bundestag. This is the first reading of the bill to amend the law on guardianship, introduced by Joachim Stünker (SPD), Michael Kauch (FDP), Dr. Luc Jochimsen (Die Linke) and Jerzy Montag (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). It deals with the legally binding regulation of a living will. This marks the start of parliamentary deliberations. The topic is returning to the political debate.

Majority of German population fears alternative to religious education: According to a forsa representative survey conducted on behalf of the Humanist Association of Germany (HVD) in May 2008, 61% of all German citizens are of the opinion that religious education is an alternative to religious education.
opinion that the school subject Humanistic Life Studies should be introduced in all federal states as an alternative to religious education. 37% of all respondents would allow their child to take part in humanistic life skills lessons if they had a child of school age.