- Approximately 950 terminations of pregnancies within the initial three months.
This year, around 950 abortions were carried out in Rhineland-Palatinate during the initial three months. Compared to the previous year, which saw a total of 3,324 abortions, as stated by the Family Affairs Ministry in response to a minor query from the now non-aligned AfD politician, Michael Frisch, there was a noticeable decrease in the number of abortions. A year prior to that, there were 2,962 abortions.
The majority of these abortions were legally justified by the counseling regulation, which stipulates that an abortion remains punishable if performed within the first 12 weeks after a counseling session. This regulation was applicable to about 910 of the abortions conducted during the initial three months. The remaining 40 abortions were performed due to valid medical reasons, as per the ministry's report. At present, there are 77 counseling centers in the state for dealing with pregnancy conflicts.
The Rhineland-Palatinate government has endorsed the proposal to decriminalize abortions. They side with the expert commission's recommendation to declassify abortions as a criminal act during the initial stages. The Family Affairs Ministry views "access to safe and legal abortions as an inviolable human right for women."
According to the government's viewpoint, women should be permitted to undergo abortions in medically secure conditions while preserving their right to privacy. However, they argue that this is currently challenging due to the classification of abortion as a criminal offense under the Criminal Code. Therefore, the government welcomes the recommendation of the expert commission, which may potentially ensure the non-punishability of abortions during the initial stages.
As of now, under Section 218 of the Criminal Code, abortions are considered as unlawful. Yet, an abortion is exempt from punishment in the first 12 weeks if the woman has previously undergone counseling. Upon valid medical grounds or in the event of rape, an abortion is also exempt from punishment.
The debate surrounding the abolition of Section 218 has been ongoing for some time. Recently, the commission appointed by the federal government recommended decriminalizing abortions during the initial stages of pregnancy.
The AfD politician, Michael Frisch, expressed concern about the decrease in abortions, as he had previously inquired about the numbers with the Family Affairs Ministry. The AfD, in their political stance, might be interested in the Rhineland-Palatinate government's plans to decriminalize abortions, following the expert commission's recommendation.
