2024-07-13 17:34:33
The Bundestag is deciding on fines for people who lie in wait for pregnant women in front of counseling centers and harass them. Minister for Women Paus sees the draft law as a “strong signal”.
The federal government wants to change the law to give pregnant women better protection from anti-abortion activists in the future. The Bundestag is expected to make a final decision on the stricter rules at noon. They are an “important step towards strengthening women’s rights,” said Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus (Greens) to the German Press Agency.
By amending the so-called Pregnancy Conflict Act, the federal government plans to prohibit certain “unacceptable behaviors,” as the draft states. This means that it is prohibited for people to prevent pregnant women from receiving counseling or accessing facilities where abortions are performed. This type of behavior is also known as sidewalk harassment. The federal government sees this as a growing problem and wants to punish these acts with fines of up to 5,000 euros in the future.
In future, it will be prohibited to intentionally make it difficult to enter and leave the facilities by creating obstacles, to force one’s own opinion on a pregnant woman, to put her under considerable pressure or to confront her with untrue factual statements or disturbing content. According to the draft, violations constitute an administrative offence.
Paus stressed that harassment of pregnant women in front of counseling centers, practices and clinics was “unacceptable”. These were women “who were already in a difficult situation” and who were then intimidated. This was “unacceptable”.
The Union, on the other hand, is critical of the plan. The chairwoman of the legal committee, Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker (CDU), told the editorial network Germany: “Even when asked, the traffic light coalition was unable to prove that there are problems that cannot be resolved with general regulatory law in the balance between freedom of expression and protection from harassment.” The religious policy spokesman for the Union faction, Thomas Rachel (CDU), also told the “Rheinische Post” (Friday): “There are already legal options to prevent blockades, insults and coercion.”
According to the draft, the change in the law covers “observable behavior within a 100-meter area around the entrance” of such facilities. This will make it even clearer in the future “that the woman is not responsible for protecting herself and fighting her way to counseling,” Paus continued. The federal government wants to end the “gauntlet for pregnant women.” In doing so, she assured that a balance will also be maintained with important basic rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.