Section 218 of the German Criminal Code has been in force in Germany since May 15, 1871: anyone who terminates a pregnancy is liable to a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine.
Although Section 218a regulates exceptions to criminal liability, every woman who decides to have an abortion is pilloried as a criminal. Some people in our society also describe every abortion as murder and have so far been allowed to do so with impunity.
The fact that abortion is becoming increasingly difficult for women fits into this misogynistic climate. According to Section 219a of the German Criminal Code (StGB), doctors are not allowed to publicly disclose how they perform abortions. Due to recurring attacks by so-called pro-life activists, the number of doctors who admit to performing abortions is constantly decreasing. This makes it increasingly difficult for women to obtain an abortion close to home, even if they would be exempt from prosecution under §218a.
“Our society should no longer accept this situation. Women are criminalized and stigmatized by the existing regulations,” explains Katrin Raczynski, board member of the HVD Bundesverband. “We are therefore calling for a redesign of the legal framework. Abortion in general must first of all be removed from the penal code. In this already difficult situation, women need support and a comprehensive medical infrastructure instead of the threat of punishment and moral condemnation.”
Erwin Kress, spokesperson for the board of the HVD Federal Association, adds: “We can then clarify open questions in a new social debate. This also includes the possible protection of viable embryos at a late stage of pregnancy. And first and foremost, we must ensure that many unwanted pregnancies do not occur in the first place by providing broad and in-depth information on the one hand and good and affordable access to contraceptives on the other.”
The HVD Federal Association has signed the appeal “150 years of resistance to Section 218 – Enough is enough!”. Together with 120 other social organizations and networks, we are calling on the parties to anchor and enforce the deletion of Section 218 and Section 219a from the Criminal Code and a new regulation in their election manifestos. The complete call with the first signatories can be found here: wegmit218.de/aufruf
