BONN : An Abortion Debate
Germany’s Bundestag, or lower house of Parliament, tackles the most controversial issue still dividing the country when it debates a new abortion law Thursday.
Under the Communist regime, East German women could obtain free, legal abortions upon demand. But western Germany permits abortion only if necessary for medical reasons, because of rape, severe birth defects or dire social need. Women who undergo illegal abortions in the west face criminal prosecution, even if they travel outside Germany for the operation.
Agreeing on a single law for the now-united nation has further strained already fragile relations between the ruling Christian Democratic Union and its junior coalition partners, the Free Democrats, who favor liberalizing the current law. Chancellor Helmut Kohl, a staunch Catholic, is expected to vote in favor of upholding criminal penalties for abortion.
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