Essen, Germany, Apr 6, 2022 / 10:44 am (CNA).
The Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ), an umbrella organization of Catholic children’s and youth associations, has spoken in favor of abolishing the ban on advertising for abortions in Germany.
The Federal Cabinet of Germany has passed a draft law to lift Section 219a of the German Criminal Code, which bans advertising abortions.
“The best protection for unborn life is when pregnant people have the opportunity to inform themselves safely,” said BDKJ Federal President Daniela Hottenbacher, according to a report by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German language news partner. “This is the only way to take real responsibility.”
The BDKJ also criticized the fact that abortions are not fully accessible throughout Germany. “In some areas of Germany, abortions are no longer accessible,” Hottenbacher said. “This puts pregnant women under additional time pressure, making it difficult to decide for or against an abortion.”
The section of the German Criminal Code that prohibits advertising for abortions “reflects an image of women that we firmly reject,” the committee representative also asserted.
Currently, women in Germany can procure an abortion by a doctor during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, following a compulsory counselling session.
A German bishop who has previously been outspoken on the matter was approached by CNA Deutsch but declined to comment.
Following the German federal government’s decision in March, the German bishops’ conference published a statement expressing cautious criticism of the government’s plans to lift the ban on abortion advertising, CNA Deutsch reported.
“In principle, it is to be welcomed that the federal government does not want to abolish the advertising ban without replacement – as originally proposed – but definitely sees a need for regulation for a specific ban on advertising for abortions,” it said in a statement released at the end of the bishops’ plenary assembly.
The bishops said they would examine the federal government’s proposal in more detail. “We remain concerned that the level of protection will be lowered too much at the expense of the protection of life required by the Basic Law.”
“A pregnant woman in a conflict situation is dependent on serious, reliable and neutral information,” Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, serving chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, wrote. “In addition, in view of the required protection of life – according to the Federal Constitutional Court – an abortion must not appear as an everyday procedure ‘corresponding to normality. The bill now presented must also be measured against this.”
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“The best protection for unborn life is when pregnant people . . .”
Pregnant people?
Evidently the Pope intends to say nothing about this either. Why are these “catholic” groups reprimanded or better yet, shut down, when they fail to observe Catholic morality?? Advocating in favor of abortion is NOT a Catholic position. Why are they being allowed to use “catholic” in the name of their organization if they are flying in the face of Catholic teaching? I am tired of fearful Bishops, cardinals and Popes who refuse to speak out for what is right for fear of hurting feelings and other such namby-pamby concerns. The fear seems to be the pro-abortion types will leave the church. Guess what ? They have ALREADY left the church. Time to cut our losses.
Remember that these particular ‘Catholic’ groups are in Germany, home to ‘Catholic’ Luther, ‘Catholic’ Karl Marx, and ‘Catholic’ Hitler, also home to contemporary ‘Catholic’ Cardinals Hollerich and Marx, and ‘Catholic’ Bishops Kohlgraf and Batzing. The ‘Catholic’ German Synod in May of last year voted in the majority to ABOLISH THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD.
The Irish Times reports ( https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/shadow-of-history-hangs-over-germany-s-abortion-debate-1.3381181 ) that the Nazis criminalized abortion in Aryan women (unless they carried a baby with a disability). Nevertheless, Jewish women or women pregnant with a disabled child were allowed to abort as the Nazis decreed such categories of persons unworthy of life.