Health care - Fewer possibilities for pregnancy terminations
In Saxony-Anhalt, the number of female doctors performing pregnancy terminations has decreased in recent years. According to the state government's response to a Green Party inquiry, the number dropped from 40 women doctors and doctors in 2017 to 30. In some districts, only one doctor is able to perform pregnancy terminations. According to the state government's statements, there is no female doctor left in Mansfeld-Southern Harz with the necessary authorization as of 2023.
The health political spokesperson for the Greens, Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz, described the figures as alarming. At least for the state-owned clinics, it could be decided that the willingness to perform pregnancy terminations is a decisive criterion for new appointments of specialists.
Number of pregnancy terminations in Saxony-Anhalt on the decline
However, the number of pregnancy terminations in Saxony-Anhalt has also significantly decreased in the past ten years. According to statistics from the State Statistical Office, 3205 pregnancy terminations were performed last year, which was 11.8 percent fewer than ten years ago. The majority of the women were between 18 and 39 years old at the time of the termination. Around 100 of the affected women were underage.
- Concerns about the lack of healthcare providers for pregnancy terminations in Saxony-Anhalt led the Green Party to propose that the qualification to perform these procedures should be considered during the appointment of specialists in state-owned hospitals.
- The decreasing number of female doctors performing pregnancy terminations in Saxony-Anhalt has resulted in some communes, like Mansfeld-Southern Harz, having no authorized practitioner available as of 2023.
- Women seeking healthcare services in hospitals in Saxony-Anhalt may be affected by the drop in pregnancy terminations, as the overall decline in this procedure affects the provision of necessary medical care for women throughout their reproductive lives.
