Knapp 150 People followed on 15. May to the call of various feminist initiatives 150 Years of resistance to the so-called abortion paragraph §218 to remember.
1871 the prohibition of abortion was included in the then Reich Criminal Code and has existed since then. The paragraph was supplemented with exceptions over time, so that abortions can now in principle be carried out without punishment. Nevertheless, abortions are still a criminal offense in Germany.
This has various negative consequences for unintentionally pregnant women, as became clear in the speeches. Doctors, who perform abortions, can be sued on the basis of §219a, because they publish information about abortions on their website. There are fewer and fewer female doctors, perform the abortions, because the legal situation is uncertain and the “performance” of abortions is unattractive. In addition, opponents of abortion see themselves legitimized to threaten doctors and unintentionally harass pregnant women, who want to have an abortion.
It is astonishing, that the §218 since 150 Years of existence and thus survived so many different social systems and social upheavals, said a doctor based in Kassel at the rally.
The rally on Königsplatz consequently demanded the deletion of §218, §219 and §219a StGB.