Medical Assembly Calls for Reform of Abortion Law
Medical professionals advocated for decriminalization while maintaining mandatory counseling and protection of freedom of conscience.
The delegates of the German Medical Assembly have spoken out in favor of a fundamental reform of abortion regulations. According to their will, the counseling and performance of abortions should in the future no longer be anchored in criminal law, but in health and counseling law. Through this, they hope for better medical care and a reduction in the social stigmatization of women and doctors. This was reported by Evangelische Zeitung. At the same time, the medical representatives emphasized that the protection of unborn life must not be neglected in the future either. The mandatory counseling should therefore be maintained, as it helps women in decision-making and provides space for a responsible choice. Furthermore, a comprehensive offering of different medical procedures must be available.
Furthermore, the Medical Assembly reaffirmed the fundamental importance of freedom of conscience in medical practice. No doctor may be forced to perform an abortion, except in an acute emergency situation to protect the mother. The resolutions stand in the context of an ongoing socio-political discussion about the future legal and medical framework of abortion in Germany.
Previously, UOJ reported that a great canon of repentance in Cologne opened the first week of Lent.
