Call to action on International Safe Abortion Day, 28.09.2022
This year, Section 219a of the German Penal Code (StGB) has finally been repealed, removing the ban on “advertising” abortions. Doctors will finally be allowed to provide information on all relevant aspects such as methods, procedures and costs of abortions and will no longer be subjected to pressure from opponents of reproductive rights, who used this absurd paragraph to criminalise doctors.
This long overdue step wouldn’t have been possible without significant pressure from the pro-choice movement, but we’re not ready to celebrate yet! As long as Section 218 of the German Penal Code exists, abortion is considered a criminal offence in Germany. We call on the federal government to act immediately and implement sexual and reproductive rights: because these are human rights!
We demand:
- Removal of §218 StGB from the penal code.
- Unrestricted, comprehensive and accessible access to legal abortions close to home.
- New human rights-based regulation of abortion on the basis of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- Removal of the obligation to undergo counselling and the compulsory “waiting period” (§218a).
- The right to qualified and open-ended counselling guaranteed by the federal government/federal states.
- That health insurance providers cover all costs related to abortion as part of statutory health care.
- Training in the methods of abortion as a compulsory part of the training of medical specialists and medical students .
- Comprehensive information about all contraceptives and free access for everyone, including free distribution of the “morning-after pill” as emergency contraception.
- Removal of the taboo on abortion and inclusion of the topic in sexual education.
- Social and economic support on the part of the state, guaranteeing the necessary infrastructure for those who decide to have a child, to allow self-determined family planning.
In 2022, sexual and reproductive rights are still not guaranteed in many countries around the world. On the contrary, they are under attack more than ever. In the USA, the right to abortion is currently under acute threat. In the neighbouring European country of Poland, abortion is de facto banned. As a result of these restrictive regulations, pregnant women have already died because doctors refused to perform vital abortions for fear of criminal consequences. People who fled the Ukraine war have also reported difficulties accessing abortions in Poland (even after rape).
Around the world we experience inequality and oppression as a result of constant attacks on sexual and reproductive health and rights. We stand in solidarity with all those fighting for reproductive justice and demand unrestricted physical, sexual and reproductive self-determination for all, especially women, non-binary and trans* people, and people with disabilities – in Germany and worldwide!
Berlin action: 6pm at the Haus der Statistik, Otto-Braun-Straße 70-72, Wednesday 28th September
