Germany's Surprisingly Restrictive Abortion Policy

You might think of Germany as a liberal place—and in many ways it is. But some outdated and surprisingly conservative laws have remained on the books for decades, harking back to a much more conservative time. One particularly surprising regulation is Section 218 of the criminal code, which rules abortion a crime. Some parts of the law on abortion date back to the 1930s, when the agenda behind it was clear.

While abortion is “decriminalized” for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, there are many caveats that make it difficult to obtain, including a psychological evaluation for any woman who wants the procedure. And there are a ton of other restrictions sounding more like what you’d find in the USA, such as the rules against “advertising” abortions, which means that doctors are not allowed to publicly provide detailed information about abortions at all.

A German doctor named Kristina Hänel, who provided information on her website about what patients should expect during, before, and after an abortion, was recently taken to court for what anti-abortion activists call “normalizing” the decision. This case finally shed international light on this restrictive policy and may be leading, finally, to outrage and change.