Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is advocating for a mandate requiring publicly funded hospitals to perform abortions, a move prompted by recent findings highlighting gaps in care for women facing unwanted pregnancies. Carmen Wegge, the SPD’s legal policy spokesperson, stated the party believes public hospitals should be obligated to offer abortion services, even those affiliated with religious institutions receiving public funding.
Wegge connected this proposal to existing agreements within the governing coalition to ensure healthcare coverage for abortion procedures. She argues that decriminalizing abortion, at least in the early stages, would be necessary to facilitate this coverage, a position long held by the SPD. A previous inter-parliamentary motion to this effect failed to gain traction in the last legislative period due to opposition from other parties.
The push for expanded access to abortion care follows the publication of the “Elsa Study” by the Federal Ministry of Health. This comprehensive study, the first of its kind in Germany, reveals shortcomings in the support and care available to women experiencing unwanted pregnancies, including stigmatization and access barriers to abortion services in certain regions.
This debate also comes amidst a recent legal challenge in Lippstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia, where a chief physician is contesting a hospital’s decision-resulting from a merger with a Catholic organization-to prohibit him from performing abortions. While his initial claim was dismissed, he intends to appeal to the State Labour Court.