Efforts to remove abortion from Germany’s criminal code could endanger protections for both mothers and unborn children, the leader of the country’s national evangelical alliance told Christian Daily International.
Abortion remains illegal under Section 218 of Germany’s criminal code, although penalties are waived during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if the mother receives state-approved counseling and observes a mandatory three-day waiting period.
Some policymakers in the Bundestag want to overhaul Section 218. A government-led commission recommended full decriminalization in 2024, but conservative and faith-led opposition has intensified in response to the proposal.
Reinhardt Schink, executive director of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany (Evangelische Allianz in Deutschland), said current political efforts to abolish or fundamentally weaken Section 218 in favor of a purely deregulated framework risk undermining the core objectives of protecting both mother and child.
“It would undermine the protection of unborn lives and it would furthermore put additional pressure on women,” said Schink in a statement titled "When We Remain Silent in the Face of Human Rights Violations."
“From the perspective of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany (EAD), such developments must be clearly rejected. A legal approach that relativizes the protection of unborn life ultimately undermines the very foundation of human dignity on which our constitutional order rests.”
Schink recalled a recent interview earlier this month on the German television program SAT.1 Breakfast Television featuring Prof. Mandy Mangler, one of Germany’s most well-known gynecologists, commenting on a Marburger Bund study on abuse of power and sexual harassment in hospitals.
The nationwide Marburger Bund study found that nearly half of all hospital physicians surveyed had personally experienced abuse of power, while 13% reported suffering sexual harassment at the hands of medical colleagues in the past year alone. Other long-term studies show similar patterns, with at least 70% of German physicians and nurses reporting they have experienced sexual harassment or violations of personal boundaries in the workplace.
Schink said the abuse described by Mangler was “alarming — but sadly not new.”
“Rather, it once again exposed a pattern of systemic failure: even in a society committed to human rights, the dignity of women and vulnerable persons is repeatedly violated,” said Schink.
Schink connected the discussion of abuse and women’s dignity to the broader debate over abortion law, arguing that both issues raise fundamental questions about the protection of vulnerable human life.
The prevailing question, according to Schink, is not only why these abuses still exist and how they can be prevented, but also whether society is willing to engage in deeper self-critical reflection on the cultural and societal developments that have contributed to them.
“This includes the question of whether our presumption that we can create a just society without a reference to Jesus Christ is a valid one,” said Schink.
Schink said many Germans believed they had been building a freer, more just society over recent decades.
“The sexual revolution and the widespread availability of contraception fundamentally reshaped relationships and social norms,” Schink said.
“Yet, one unintended consequence has been a distortion of responsibility. Too often, contraception was implicitly framed as a solely woman’s task, shifting not only the practical burden but also the physical and psychological consequences largely onto her.
“A sustainable and just vision of relationships, however, requires clarity at this point: responsibility for a partnership, including contraception, must be shared equally by both partners. Neither responsibility nor consequences can be unilaterally assigned. Only where mutual responsibility is acknowledged can genuine respect and protection of women emerge.”
In the midst of current debates about human rights, Schink said, a “most pressing blind spot” is the question of unborn life.
“Human dignity does not begin at birth, but clearly much earlier,” said Schink. “An unborn child is much more than just a collection of cells or a ‘cluster of cells.’ The latter is a concept that is repeatedly used as a framing device in the current public debate in Germany on reforming the legal framework governing abortion.
“Instead, every human being, from the very beginning of life, possesses inherent and inviolable dignity — independent of developmental stage, health condition or social acceptance.”
Schink said this conviction is reflected in the current legal framework of Section 218.
“While it provides for certain exemptions under defined conditions, it fundamentally affirms that the termination of pregnancy is not a morally neutral act but one that violates the protection of human life.”
That is why, Schink said, both perspectives are of the utmost importance: protecting the dignity of the mother and the life of the unborn child.
Schink expressed concern about any law that makes the protection of unborn life a relativist rather than absolute matter. The handling of pregnancies involving a child suspected of having a disability is of particular concern.
“When unborn life is increasingly evaluated according to criteria of health, functionality, or ‘fitness,’ society moves dangerously close to selective thinking that contradicts the principles of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” said Schink.
“A society committed to inclusion must not begin by excluding the most vulnerable before birth.”
At the same time, Schink acknowledged that purely punitive approaches have not sufficiently protected unborn life or adequately supported women facing crisis pregnancies.
“Many decisions for abortion are made under pressure — relational, social or economic,” he said.
“A credible commitment to the protection of life must therefore go beyond legal provisions. It must include a culture of support, responsibility and solidarity.”
Schink defined this commitment as strengthening practical support for women in difficult situations, addressing relational pressures, including those exerted by partners, and fostering a societal climate that affirms both motherhood and the value of every child.
“Protection of unborn life and strengthening women’s rights are not opposites — they belong together,” he said.
At the same time, the fight against sexualized violence and abuse must be pursued with determination, according to Schink.
“The revelations highlighted by Mandy Mangler show that power imbalances and exploitation persist even in highly regulated environments such as the medical profession,” said Schink.
“Particularly vulnerable are women in dependent situations, as well as persons with disabilities — many of whom experience abuse already in childhood.”
Breaking this cycle requires more than legal enforcement, Schink said. It requires a renewed ethical consensus that every human being, without exception, is worthy of protection.
“Our society stands at a crossroads,” said Schink.
“We can continue to fragment human dignity into competing interests — or we can reaffirm its indivisibility: for women, for men, for the vulnerable and for the unborn.
“Silence in the face of injustice is never neutral. It always favors the stronger one who acts unjustly.”
Schink urged fellow evangelicals to speak publicly about the welfare of mothers and unborn children.
“Therefore, let us raise our voices — clearly, responsibly and with compassion — for a culture that protects life at every stage.”
