Abortion in Germany should be decriminalized during pregnancy’s first 12 weeks, experts recommend

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — An independent expert commission has recommended that abortion in Germany should no longer fall under the country’s penal code and be made legal during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Currently, abortion is considered illegal in Germany, but not punishable if a woman undergoes mandatory counseling and a three-day wait period before she has the procedure. The ruling coalition had tasked the experts’ commission to look into this issue, which has been a hotly debated topic over decades. The country’s approach to abortion has been more restrictive than in many other European countries. While the commission’s recommendation Monday to decriminalize the current abortion law is nonbinding, it is likely to heat up discussion over the issue again.