Labels

Catholic Women's Association of Germany calls for comprehensive access to abortion. Attacks pro-life activities. Full document in English.

 


Position Paper

Long down scroll down for key sections marked in red

Initiators: Working Group on §218 of the German Criminal Code
Title: Between the Protection of Life and Self-Determination: Positions and Perspectives of the Catholic Women's Association of Germany (kfd) on Section 218 of the German Criminal Code

Introduction

In 2024 and 2025, the Catholic Women's Association of Germany (kfd) undertook a process of opinion formation regarding the treatment of Section 218 of the German Criminal Code (StGB). This paper illustrates the highly controversial discussion and diversity of opinions within the association.

The kfd emphasizes that at the center of the debate on Section 218 is the idea that carrying a child to term is fundamentally of great value. Pregnancy is not merely a biological process but a profoundly human event in which new life can develop. From a Catholic perspective, and also for the kfd, life begins with the fertilization of the egg cell. Every pregnant person who finds herself in the dilemma between carrying a pregnancy to term and terminating it must be supported so that she can make the decision that is right for her.

These considerations apply both to adult women and to underage girls, who, because of their age, often find themselves in particularly conflict-ridden and vulnerable situations. It is important that they receive all possible assistance both in making the decision itself and in obtaining support after deciding either for or against an abortion. This principle forms the starting point for all considerations—regardless of whether one supports retaining or abolishing Section 218.

Within the working group's discussions, the term “unborn life” was chosen to describe prenatal development. In the group's view, this term provides a description that is as neutral as possible while remaining understandable and close to everyday language, making it suitable both legally and socially.

Supporters of Section 218 primarily see the legal protection of unborn life as a strong signal: life should not be freely disposable but should be recognized as worthy of protection from its very beginning. From a Christian perspective, this idea is central because every life is understood as inviolable and willed by God. Their arguments emphasize that Section 218 strengthens women's sense of responsibility and makes clear that pregnancy involves more than a purely personal decision. They also stress that the regulation represents a social compromise that takes into account both women's self-determination and the protection of unborn life. In this sense, Section 218 has a preventive effect: it encourages serious reflection on carrying a pregnancy to term and promotes conscious decision-making.

On the other hand, there are arguments against retaining Section 218. Critics see criminalization as a significant burden on women who are already in difficult circumstances. Even if abortions remain exempt from punishment under certain conditions, criminalization still exists. Furthermore, questions arise as to whether such a regulation is compatible with the right to self-determination and respect for women's dignity. Critics also point to practical consequences: in many regions, access to medically safe care is limited because physicians are discouraged by legal uncertainty. It is also emphasized that the protection of life can be promoted positively through counseling, education, financial support, and accompaniment of women. This position is likewise compatible with Christian values, since Catholic social teaching stresses that life should not only be protected but strengthened through social justice and care.

The kfd has engaged intensively with precisely this tension in its own process of forming opinions. Through numerous discussions with experts in medicine, ethics, law, and theology, and by listening to the voices of many members, it became clear how complex the questions raised by Section 218 are. The process did not lead to a single conclusion but rather to a remarkable balance. This reflects the fact that both the desire for clear legal protection of unborn life and the woman's right to self-determination are taken seriously within the kfd.

The process produced no consensus but revealed a shared fundamental attitude: profound respect for life from its beginning and a clear commitment not to leave women alone in situations of pregnancy conflict.

Freedom, Dignity, and Conscience in Pregnancy Conflict: Catholic Teaching

The Catholic Church understands its teaching on sexuality, reproduction, and abortion as a binding interpretation of divine revelation. It assumes that human life possesses inviolable dignity from the moment of conception. Therefore, abortion is regarded as a serious violation of the right to life. The Code of Canon Law (Canon 1398) provides, under certain conditions, for automatic excommunication for formal participation in a completed abortion. This regulation is intended to emphasize the special worthiness of human life for protection.

In Catholic sexual ethics, especially in Humanae Vitae (1968), the connection between marital love, openness to procreation, and “responsible parenthood” is emphasized. Abortion is not considered a legitimate means of birth regulation.

At the same time, Catholic moral teaching assigns central importance to conscience. According to the Second Vatican Council (Gaudium et Spes 16), conscience is the “most secret core” of the human person, where one feels bound by moral obligations. Every person has the right and duty to follow their conscience; however, conscience also requires formation and orientation toward objective moral norms. The theological tradition recognizes that a person must follow their conscience even when, in a particular case, it conflicts with Church directives.

Thus, two values are present in a pregnancy conflict: the right to life of the unborn child and the dignity and self-determination of the pregnant person. Church teaching generally gives priority to the protection of unborn life. However, theology and society continue to debate how the relationship between Church norms, state law, and individual conscience should be understood.

Pregnancy conflict therefore remains an area of ethical tension in which questions of freedom, dignity, responsibility, and legal order are weighed differently.

Catholic Socialization

Decision-makers within the kfd are predominantly members of the Catholic Church and have generally been raised in a Catholic environment—that is, in surroundings where the Catholic Church, its values, traditions, and ways of life have been formative.

Male dominance in theology and Church hierarchy has far-reaching effects on teachings, moral concepts, and the Church’s self-understanding. It leads to a particularly restricted view of the many dimensions of sexuality, especially women's self-determination in this area. This influence shapes thinking, feeling, and behavior throughout life, particularly regarding ethical and moral questions. For many women, it continues to play a major role in defining gender roles and controlling sexuality and reproduction. It operates as a lasting spiritual power, is experienced as a restriction of personal freedom, and strongly influences personal conscience. A contemporary perspective requires recognizing this influence and understanding shared responsibility as a common task.

Prevention: Sexual Education and Contraception

Sexual Education

Sexual education can contribute to preventing abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies. This requires age-appropriate, scientifically grounded, and comprehensive education about the body, fertility, and methods of contraception. Such education strengthens the ability to assess risks realistically, use contraceptives correctly, and make informed decisions. Empirical findings suggest that comprehensive sexual education is associated with more responsible sexual behavior and lower rates of unintended pregnancy, whereas abstinence-only programs do not show comparable effects.

In addition, sexual education promotes communication and relationship skills as well as the ability to set boundaries and exercise self-determination. It therefore supports shared responsibility within relationships and can reduce risk factors such as misinformation or inadequate communication about contraception. Combined with accessible counseling and contraceptive services, it makes a structural contribution to preventing unintended pregnancies and thereby indirectly reducing abortions.

Contraception

Contraceptive methods vary in effectiveness and reliability when used as prescribed, and nearly all have side effects. Their availability also differs. No contraceptive method can provide 100 percent protection against pregnancy. The choice of method depends on the user's current life situation and personal preferences.

The use of contraception also varies according to the reason for its use, depending on whether it is intended solely to prevent pregnancy or also to protect against sexually transmitted infections such as HIV or hepatitis. An informed decision requires comprehensive information about effectiveness, risks, and proper use.

As a rule, contraceptives such as the pill, intrauterine devices, or sterilization must be paid for privately. Statutory health insurance covers prescription contraceptives for women up to the age of 22. Coverage beyond age 22 is generally available only for medical reasons.

Since 2015, the “morning-after pill” no longer requires a prescription and can be purchased over the counter. Contraception is the responsibility of all partners.

The kfd calls for contraceptives to be universally accessible, freely available, and provided free of charge. At the same time, sexuality education should begin early in childhood and continue throughout life for all genders. Education should address bodily awareness, self-determination, and contraception in an age-appropriate manner. Every diocese should appoint a contact person for sexual education.

Pregnancy arises through the involvement of two people. Nevertheless, women bear the physical burden and often the greater social and economic burden as well. Responsibility for sexuality, contraception, and parenthood is a shared task. Men are called upon to assume their share actively and without patronizing women through information, shared responsibility, and support.

Decision-Making in Pregnancy Conflict

Women faced with an unintended pregnancy do not make decisions for or against unborn life lightly. Studies, including the ELSA study on the living situations and burdens of women with unintended pregnancies, show that women make their decisions against a background of complex personal, familial, health-related, and social factors. The situation is often characterized by ambivalent feelings and considerable stress.

In the event of a pregnancy, men bear responsibility in areas that can relieve burdens on the woman. Their support, accompaniment, or assistance must not become paternalism. The decision itself belongs to the woman.

Even in the case of an unintended pregnancy, shared responsibility is necessary. Many women experience having to make decisions effectively on their own. Responsible conduct by men therefore includes willingness to communicate, reliability, and sharing the consequences without exerting pressure or withdrawing. Responsibility does not end with the decision itself. If the pregnancy is carried to term, women usually bear most of the caregiving work, physical consequences, and professional risks. Men are therefore particularly called upon to assume responsibility equally. Although men may also be emotionally affected by an abortion, their feelings must not become a basis for inappropriate accusations or pressure against the woman. Respect and mutual coping must remain paramount.

The kfd stands with women and advocates compassionate and objective support. Women need comprehensive assistance before, during, and after making a decision. The woman herself determines the form of support and decides who should be involved. In this context, “support” means comprehensive assistance, including state counseling and support services, financial aid, and backing from family, friends, parents, or partners. The kfd respects the woman's decision; she does not need to justify herself. The kfd also calls for this respect within society. Self-determination and freedom rights must play a major role.

Counseling

The rights of unborn life are very important. They exist in tension with a woman's right to self-determination. Counseling in pregnancy conflicts therefore seeks to take both sides into account as fully as possible—legally, medically, and ethically. The goal is to do justice to the complexity of the situation without setting two lives against each other.

For the kfd, this means promoting an objective public dialogue that avoids polarization and takes women's real-life circumstances seriously. Within the kfd there is no consensus on whether mandatory counseling or a right to counseling is necessary for self-determined and reflective decision-making.

While mandatory counseling constitutes a binding requirement, a right to counseling is understood as a state service available to women who wish to receive counseling.

A prerequisite for self-determined decision-making is the availability of comprehensive and non-judgmental information. This includes information about counseling centers, the medical procedure itself, and the practices and hospitals that perform abortions. Such information should be accessible through physicians as well as government agencies, especially through transparent online resources.

Counseling must be open-ended and include psychological and social aspects in addition to medical considerations. After the procedure, psychological follow-up care should be available through counseling centers.

Medical Care

Comprehensive medical (and where necessary psychological) care relating to abortion is not guaranteed throughout Germany. Fewer and fewer physicians offer abortions, and particularly in rural areas there is a lack of accessible services, especially in western and southern federal states. This gap in care endangers the physical and mental health of people with unintended pregnancies and must be urgently addressed. Even in wanted pregnancies, these gaps can result in inadequate medical care and place the mother's life at risk—for example, when a pregnancy ends through the death of the unborn child.

In hospitals run by Catholic institutions, Catholic employment law applies. This special Church law allows deviations from state law where Church principles are concerned. Physicians in Catholic hospitals may not perform abortions, including those based on medical indications. The only exception is acute danger to the mother's life. The kfd therefore demands that abortions also be possible in Catholic hospitals.

Clear political and institutional frameworks are needed to ensure comprehensive access to abortion care and to reduce discrimination and stigmatization within healthcare. Equally important is guaranteed coverage of abortion costs by health insurance.

Respect for the individual conscience decisions of physicians regarding whether or not to perform abortions must be maintained. However, access to medically necessary procedures must be guaranteed.

In addition to improving access to services, better training for medical students and physicians is required, as well as mandatory continuing education on abortion. The special needs of women during menopause should also be considered. Gynecological training must be reformed so that all future specialists possess the necessary competence to deal knowledgeably and respectfully with unintended pregnancies.

Responsibility Beyond Birth

“I do not believe that simply because one opposes abortion one is automatically for life. In fact, I think there is often a lack of morality if one only wants a child to be born but not fed, educated, or housed. And why do I think they do not want that? Because they do not want tax money spent on it. That is not being for life. That is being for birth. We need a much broader discussion about the morality of those who call themselves pro-life.”
— Sister Joan Chittister, American Benedictine nun (2004)

The question of protecting life does not end with the birth of a child. Sister Joan Chittister points out that an ethical position focused exclusively on preventing abortions falls short if it does not simultaneously consider the material, social, and educational conditions necessary for children to thrive. Protecting life therefore also includes the responsibility to care for children after birth, support their development, and enable social participation.

Children, whether planned or unplanned, fundamentally change life circumstances. Parents, often primarily mothers, must assume new responsibilities. In most cases, they take on new or additional caregiving work. Lack of support from partners or family, financial burdens, inadequate housing, and unresolved questions about balancing family and employment can create major challenges. Long-term scientific studies indicate that unwanted children are statistically more likely to experience difficult life outcomes. These findings underscore the need for preventive social and family policy measures.

At the same time, current studies show that many people are postponing parenthood because of economic insecurity, precarious employment, high housing costs, and insufficient family-support structures. Starting a family is therefore not merely a private decision but is significantly influenced by political and social conditions.

Children must not become a poverty risk for women and families. Accordingly, the kfd advocates a range of political and social measures, including reliable child benefits, poverty-proof social welfare programs and minimum wages, accessible and multilingual support services, sufficient free childcare places, and improved conditions for balancing care work and paid employment. Special support is also needed for families raising children with disabilities, as well as low-threshold social and psychological support for situations of overwhelm.

These demands are not exhaustive. They demonstrate that a consistent understanding of protecting life includes comprehensive social, economic, and structural conditions. The kfd therefore promotes open dialogue and greater awareness of the real burdens faced by parents and children within society, the Church, and the association itself.

Opposition to Right-Wing Extremism

The kfd also closely monitors the so-called “pro-life” activists who have for years loudly and aggressively claimed, through demonstrations such as the “March for Life” and “1,000 Crosses,” to protect “every life.” It warns against supporting them uncritically.

In many countries, including Germany, far-right forces and religious fundamentalists are questioning and attacking sexual and reproductive rights. Through associations and action groups within the so-called pro-life movement, they use current debates to restrict social freedoms and the rights of women and marginalized groups.

Such activities have increased in recent years. Their organizers are engaged in a broader cultural struggle against gender-political liberalization. They promote a rigid sexual morality and oppose bodily and sexual self-determination. Their supporters largely come from conservative to far-right Christian circles with ideological proximity to radical right-wing extremism. At gatherings of the “pro-life” movement, anti-feminist, authoritarian, and Christian fundamentalist positions are propagated, and at times they include ethnic-nationalist racism, hostility toward homosexual and transgender people, or even Holocaust relativization.

Even after the prohibition of so-called sidewalk harassment, pregnant women continue to be pressured, intimidated, or otherwise subjected to considerable coercion by radical anti-abortion activists seeking to influence decisions about continuing a pregnancy. Counseling and medical personnel are also subjected to pressure. The protection of counseling centers and medical practices must be guaranteed. Pregnant women must be able to attend pregnancy-conflict counseling without interference.

State-recognized and Church-affiliated counseling centers have for many years provided professional and legally secure support in matters relating to pregnancy and pregnancy conflicts.

Conclusion

The process of opinion formation has shown how complex the issues surrounding Section 218 are. The kfd consciously accepts the tension between protecting life and self-determination. It recognizes unborn life as worthy of protection while simultaneously emphasizing a woman's right to freedom of conscience, dignity, bodily integrity, and self-determined decision-making in light of her personal fears, concerns, and life circumstances.

Women must not be left alone in pregnancy conflicts—whether by society, partners, or the Church. Protection of life is not reduced to birth but is understood as a comprehensive social responsibility. Fundamentally, the kfd wants women to be able to become mothers under the best possible conditions.

At the same time, the kfd opposes fundamentalist and anti-democratic instrumentalization of the issue. It advocates objective dialogue that avoids polarization and supports the protection of counseling centers and medical personnel. Responsibility for sexuality, contraception, pregnancy, and parenthood is understood as a shared task of partners. At the same time, the state and society have a duty to create reliable legal, social, and economic conditions that provide women with the greatest possible support at every stage. Politics and civil society are therefore called upon to actively fulfill this responsibility and foster conditions that enable self-determined decisions and sustainably strengthen parents.

Overall, the kfd stands for an approach that respects both unborn life and the freedom, dignity, and conscience of women. Its goal is a society and Church in which women facing pregnancy conflicts receive support without stigmatization or pressure, and in which responsibility for life extends beyond birth.

Email Post
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment