German alliance proposes bill to legalize abortion up to 22 weeks

A broad alliance of interest groups presented a draft bill to the German parliament on Thursday pushing for abortions to be legalized up to the 22nd week of pregnancy.

The bill proposes regulating abortions outside the penal code in the first 22 weeks of pregnancy and abolishing the legal paragraphs on which criminal liability is based.

More than 20 organizations, including Pro Familia, the German Women's Council and the trade union Verdi, drafted the bill in collaboration with experts in reproductive medicine.

Lawyer Liane Wörner said the bill should provide "decisive impetus for the legislature."

Abortion is generally illegal under paragraph 218 of Germany's criminal code, but is not punishable if it takes place within the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy, provided that the woman has received counselling. Women and their doctors also do not face penalties if the pregnancy poses a health risk to the woman or in cases of rape.

In addition to the decriminalization of abortions up to the 22nd week, the draft bill proposes that counselling should no longer be mandatory. Instead it says those who become pregnant unintentionally should have a legal right to counselling.

The proposal says that while the costs of the procedure should typically be covered by health insurance, doctors should retain the right to personally decide against performing an abortion.

The draft bill will only have consequences if the federal government takes up the initiative, or if members of parliament propose a legal amendment.

Campaigners say there have been positive signals from the members of the centre-left coalition government's parliamentary groups.