Surely a clear statement of Catholic position on abortion cannot harm democracy

The President of the Central Committee of German Catholics had previously expressed concern about the SPD candidate for the Federal Constitutional Court. Now she is reaffirming her position – but also criticizing the public debate.

The President of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), Irme Stetter-Karp, has reaffirmed her previous stance on Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf. In an interview with the magazine "Publik-Forum" (online, Monday), she stated that the failed SPD candidate for the Federal Constitutional Court was not eligible for election. At the same time, however, she expressed "great dismay at the form of the public debate and the nature of the debate." According to Stetter-Karp, this had damaged the candidate and harmed democracy. Brosius-Gersdorf withdrew her candidacy last Thursday after opposition to her election and a signal from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group that her election was out of the question.

The decisive factor in Stetter-Karp's stance was the report of the expert commission on the decriminalization of abortion, appointed by the traffic-light coalition government, of which Brosius-Gersdorf was a member. While the report contained "respectable parts" that she could "very strongly support," Section 218 and its future are "not an arbitrary question for us." Stetter-Karp emphasized: "Because it's about how the Federal Constitutional Court will treat the issue of human dignity in Germany in the future. If human dignity is not to begin at the time of implantation, but at another point in time yet to be legally defined, then that will have enormous consequences." There is a danger that human dignity will be tied to a person's abilities—"to their ability, to their reason." This has consequences not only for Section 218, but also "for people with disabilities and for the issue of assisted suicide at the end of life."

Appalled by the tone of the debate

When asked whether she regretted her statement in retrospect, Stetter-Karp replied: "I would have reason to regret it if I had intervened in a sharp tone." She added that they had consciously chosen a factual tone, which had been met with a positive response within the Central Committee of the Christian Democratic Union (ZdK). Nevertheless, she was "appalled by the tone of the debate." The church must contribute "to ensuring that right-wing populist-led campaigns do not determine day-to-day politics." Highly complex issues such as abortion should not become the subject of culture wars. She deeply regretted the climate of culture wars that, she said, now prevails in Germany as well.

Stetter-Karp also criticized the coalition: There was apparently a "lack of preparation" for the election of judges, substantive positions were not sufficiently clarified, and concerns from the ranks of the CDU and CSU were "not taken seriously." Consequences were drawn too late. However, she can only "pay respect" to Brosius-Gersdorf's withdrawal.

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