Ahead of the legislative period’s end, former Green party leader Ricarda Lang is urging lawmakers to consider a partial legalization of abortion. In an interview with the “Stern” on Monday, Lang emphasized the importance of reforming Paragraph 218 and regulating early-term abortions outside of the criminal code. “It’s crucial that we make the necessary changes now” she said, “and that’s why we should pave the way for the decriminalization of abortion in the parliament.”
Lang criticized the current law, saying that it is often defended as a good compromise but in reality hinders the provision of health care for women. “The criminalization of abortion leads to a lack of training for the procedure at universities and a shortage of physicians willing to perform the procedure” she said.
She called on men to consider the situation of the women they care about, asking, “Do you want these women to be stigmatized and criminalized in a difficult situation, or do you want them to be supported and well-advised?”
In a time when women’s rights are being attacked globally, Lang argued that the response should not be to shy away from the issue. “By doing so, we would be making ourselves accomplices to those who are dispossessing women of their rights. Our response should be more self-determination and freedom.”
On Monday, experts were invited to the Bundestag’s legal committee to share their views on the topic. A group of parliamentarians from the SPD, Greens and Left party has submitted a draft bill aiming to legalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The supporters hope to have the bill sent to the plenum after the expert hearing and then voted on in the Bundestag on the last day of the legislative period, Tuesday.