As the German parliament, the Bundestag, prepares for an expert hearing on Monday, proponents of legalizing abortion are urging lawmakers to pass their reform bill in this legislative period. “We must act now, because the supply situation for women is utterly dramatic” said SPD’s Carmen Wegge, a key drafter of the group’s proposal, to the T-Online news portal. “After the election, the necessary majority in the Bundestag might be lacking.”
Wegge is one of the initiators of the group’s November 15th submission, which aims to change the current law. The group seeks to make abortion legal up to the 12th week of pregnancy, as long as the pregnant woman has received counseling. Currently, an abortion in Germany is illegal without counseling and the group wants to change this.
“We as a group will do everything to pass the law before the new Bundestag is constituted” Wegge said. The group is confident it can gather a majority for the reform in the Bundestag. However, with regular sittings of the parliament concluding on Tuesday, the group is considering a shortened timeframe or even requesting a special session to push for a vote.