Representatives from the Green and Left factions are pressing the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) to immediately release the “Experiences and Living Conditions of Unintended Pregnancies – Offers of Counseling and Care (ELSA)” study.
Key findings from the survey were presented in April 2024; however, the ministry has yet to publish a concluding report. A spokesperson for the ministry stated in response to a request from “Der Spiegel” that a specific date for publication remains undetermined. The spokesperson declined to provide further details regarding the reasons for the protracted delay.
Ulle Schauws, the Green faction’s spokesperson for women’s affairs, expressed frustration over the repeated postponement. She told “Der Spiegel” that the concluding report should now be a formality and questioned the motivations behind the ministry’s delay.
Left Party parliamentarian Clara Bünger echoed these concerns, stating that it is unacceptable for the Federal Ministry of Health to withhold the ELSA study’s final report for months. Bünger pointed out that the report has been available for some time, yet the public continues to be met with vague promises of a future release. She urged the ministry to publish the report without further delay.
The study, commissioned by former Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) in early 2021 and reportedly funded with over €4 million, revealed findings consistent with long-standing expert concerns. The results demonstrated that women in certain German regions face significant obstacles when seeking to terminate a pregnancy, with particularly challenging conditions identified in Bavaria, a state largely governed by the CSU party.