An independent experts commission recommended Monday that abortion in Germany should no longer fall under the country's penal code and be made legal during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Currently, abortion is considered illegal in Germany but not punishable if a woman undergoes mandatory counseling and a three-day wait period before she has the procedure.
Germany's progressive government coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats, the Greens, and the pro-business Free Democrats had tasked the experts commission a year ago to look into the issue of abortion, which has been a hotly debated topic over decades.
Germany's approach to abortion has been more restrictive than in many other European countries. Some German women have traveled to neighboring countries such as the Netherlands to have abortions, especially during later phases of their pregnancies when abortion is considered completely illegal in Germany except for very grave cases.
The commission's recommendation for the government to decriminalize abortion is non-binding but is likely to spark further discussion on the issue in the country. It could potentially lead to a reform of the current regulation by parliament in the future.
The Catholic Church, a main opponent of liberalizing abortion regulations in Germany, quickly condemned the commission's recommendations, stating that legalizing abortion in the early stages of pregnancy would undermine the protection of life.
In addition to its recommendations for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the commission suggested that for the middle phase of pregnancy, lawmakers should decide whether and for how long an abortion should be legal, while in the last trimester, abortions should only be allowed in cases of strong medical or social reasons.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach praised the report's scientific expertise in addressing complex ethical questions on reproductive self-determination and reproductive medicine. He urged for an objective and non-ideological discussion on the matter to prevent further societal division.
The government will review the report in detail and share it with parliament for further consideration.
