German ban on advertising abortion services set to be scrapped

A much-debated article of the German penal code that makes the advertising of abortion services illegal is set to be scrapped, reported dpa.

The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the way for the abolition of paragraph 219a, which prohibits "advertising for the termination of pregnancy."

The paragraph has meant, among other things, that doctors cannot offer detailed information about abortions to the public without fear of prosecution. Websites of surgeries, for example, can say that they offer abortions, but they generally do not provide any further details.

The bill put forward by Justice Minister Marco Buschmann must now be debated by both houses of parliament.

It was "intolerable" that German law prohibits doctors from providing factual information and threatens them with prosecution, Buschmann told public broadcaster ZDF.

The minister for women, Anne Spiegel, called the abolition of paragraph 219a "overdue" on Wednesday.

"Doctors should in future be able to provide information about their medical services for abortions without having to fear prosecution or stigmatization. In this way, we are strengthening women's right to self-determination in the long term."

In Germany - where the government was led by the conservative Christian Democrats for some 16 years until a centre-left coalition came to power in December - abortion is illegal in principle, but not punishable under certain conditions.

A woman may have an abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if she seeks counselling and presents a certificate to the doctor.

An abortion remains exempt from punishment even after the 12 weeks of pregnancy if the woman's life is in danger or she is at risk of serious physical or mental harm.