Expert Panel Calls on Germany to Legalize Abortion in First 12 Weeks

This New York Times piece reports on recommendations by a government-appointed commission in Germany that the country liberalize its laws to legalize abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. While abortions in Germany are technically illegal, in practice, they are broadly permitted in the first 12 weeks if a woman has received mandatory counseling and then waits at least three days to terminate the pregnancy.

Adriana Lamačkova, the Center’s associate director for Europe, said that Germany remains an outlier in a broader trend toward expanding access to abortion. “The legislative trend in Europe is crystal clear,” she said. “What Germany does, and seems to be the only country in Europe to do, is regulate abortion in the penal code in a way that considers all abortions unlawful.”

Read the article here:

“Expert Panel Calls on Germany to Legalize Abortion in First 12 Weeks,” The New York Times, April 15, 2024

Press release: German Expert Commission Recommends Modernization of Abortion Law, 04.15.24

“The German Government now has a historic opportunity to modernize the law and take steps to ensure that it moves into line with international human rights law and best clinical practice,” —Adriana Lamačkova