Synonyms
Abortion, abortion, abortion, interruptio Eglish: abortion Medical : abortion
Definition
An abortion is the voluntary termination of a pregnancy by means of medication or instrumental surgery, with the accompanying abortion of the child. According to WHO estimates (WHO=World Health Organization), about 30% of all pregnancies worldwide are unwanted. 20% of all pregnant women undergo abortion – half of them illegally.
The legal situation varies greatly from country to country. Especially the predominant religion as well as awareness of tradition, conservatism and the image of women have a strong influence on people’s attitude towards abortion. Strict regulations can lead to women turning to illegally working, less competent personnel.
This often leads to serious complications and fatal abortion – about 70,000 women die every year as a result. In general, the subdivision into deadline regulation and indication regulation has become generally accepted in some countries. With the regulation of time limits, abortion is possible up to a certain point in the pregnancy (usually up to the 12th week post conceptionem) without justification.
The indication regulation, on the other hand, does not limit the possible time of termination, but requires a valid reason for an abortion. The legal situation was regulated in Germany in 1995 in §218 and §219 StGB-Schwangerschaftsabbruch. According to these provisions, an abortion/abortion is exempt from punishment under certain circumstances.
These include: This is the case if physical or psychological damage to the pregnant woman caused by the abortion is, according to medical opinion, avoidable. This includes, for example, severe disabilities or malformations of the child. There is neither a time limit nor an obligation to consult.
In this case, the costs are borne by the health insurance company. If the pregnancy was caused by an illegal act (e.g. rape) and has not progressed more than 12 weeks after conception, the abortion remains unpunished. The costs are also covered by the health insurance.
The basic requirement in any case is the explicit wish of the pregnant woman to have an abortion. Furthermore, the doctor, as the only person authorized to perform abortions, must always inform about possible complications and, in case of consultation and criminological indication, check the age of the pregnancy. He alone assesses whether a medical or criminological indication exists.
- Indication according to the consulting model
- Medical indication
- Criminological indication
- The pregnancy must not be more than 12 weeks (after conception) advanced (corresponds to the deadline regulation).
- The pregnant woman must have visited a recognized pregnant women’s conflict counseling center at least 3 days before the abortion and must be able to present a written certificate of this conflict counseling.
- The physician performing the procedure must not perform the consultation himself.
- If the pregnant woman is in particular distress and can provide written proof of counseling by a recognized pregnancy conflict counseling center, an abortion remains exempt from punishment in special cases until the 22nd week of pregnancy.
If the pregnancy has already progressed to the point where the child is able to survive outside the womb, it must be given a fetocide (drug that kills the fetus) before the abortion. Already the attempt of an abortion against the mentioned conditions is punishable – but not if it was performed by the pregnant woman herself. If the unlawful abortion is successful, the person performing it is threatened with 3 years imprisonment or a fine. In a particularly serious case (abortion against the will of the pregnant woman or acceptance of damage to health or death), the offender is liable to imprisonment for up to 5 years. If the pregnant woman carries out the act herself, she is liable to a prison sentence of 1 year or a fine.
