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(LifeSiteNews) — Germany now permits abortionists to advertise.

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, Germany abolished its advertising ban on abortion. All delegates of Germany’s government coalition parties, as well as from the left-wing “Die Linke” party, voted in favor of the abolition of the hotly debated “Paragraph 219a.”

The three parties that make up the coalition are the Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party (Die Grünen), and the Liberal Party (FDP). The delegates of two opposition parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Alternative for Germany, (AfD) voted against the resolution.

In addition to the abolition of Paragraph 219a, the resolution by the German Parliament stipulates that the sentences issued against physicians based on the paragraph since October 3, 1990, will be overturned.

Criticism by opposition parties and the Catholic Church

“We also think about the child’s right to life, and that is the main difference that I see between us,” said Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, a member of the Christian Democrats, as she addressed the government coalition about the decision.

Winkelmeier-Becker also warned that proactively advertising abortion on the Internet would now become possible, which suggests that abortion is “a normal medical treatment,” which is not the case.

The Catholic Church in Germany regretted the decision but did not make a statement condemning the practice of abortion itself. The spokesman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Matthias Kopp, told the German news agency “dpa” that a revision of Paragraph 219a to further improve women’s information situation would have been the better solution.

“From the point of view of the Church, this solution would have served both the interests of women and the constitutionally required protection of unborn life,” Kopp said.

READ: European pro-lifers celebrate end of Roe v. Wade: ‘Most evil document in human history’

Government coalition celebrates, doctors’ association welcomes decision

Germany’s justice minister, the Liberal Party’s Marco Buschmann, said that it was “about time” that the advertising ban was overturned. “Every troll and conspiracy theorist” could spread information about the topic, but not highly qualified doctors, a situation he called absurd, unjust, and outmoded.

Family Minister Lisa Paus from the Green Party called the resolution a “triumph” and said it was a good day for doctors and especially for women in Germany.

The Hamburg Medical Association also welcomed the decision of the Bundestag (German Parliament). It is not a matter of allowing advertisement for abortions, the association’s president, Pedram Emami said, “but of concrete help for women in a very stressful situation”.

The Social Democrats celebrated the decision by posting videos on their social media account showing their politicians knocking down large cubes reading “Paragraph 219a”:

The quest to abolish the advertising ban on abortions was established months ago in the coalition agreement between the three governing parties.

The legal situation regarding abortion in Germany

Abortion is still a felony in Germany, punishable by up to three years in prison. However, pregnant women and doctors have impunity if the woman demands the abortion at least three days after having mandatory counsel, and if conception happened not more than 12 weeks before. This mandatory counsel is provided only by recognized crisis pregnancy counseling centers that are officially responsible for protecting the unborn life. The law about counseling pregnant women in emergency situations states:

The purpose of counseling is to protect the unborn life. Counseling shall be guided by the effort to encourage the woman to continue the pregnancy and to open up to her perspectives for a life with the child; it shall help her to make a responsible and conscientious decision. The woman must be aware that the unborn child has a right to life of its own at every stage of pregnancy, and that therefore, according to the legal system, abortion can be considered only in exceptional situations, when carrying the child to term would impose a burden on the woman that is so severe and extraordinary that it exceeds the reasonable limit of sacrifice.

Furthermore, the law forbids the doctor who carries out the abortion to be the official counselor. But even though these laws seem quite restrictive, about 100,000 abortions are still carried out every year in Germany.

Before the abolition of Paragraph 219a, doctors’ abilities to recommend and nudge women towards having an abortion was quite limited, at least officially. Openly advertising “abortion services” was definitely forbidden. This will now change due to the passing of this resolution.

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