Number of abortions in Germany on the rise

In the third quarter of 2022, around 26,500 abortions were reported in Germany. This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office on Thursday. Accordingly, the number of abortions increased by 16.7 per cent compared to the third quarter of the previous year. In 2019, there were around 25,200 abortions in the same quarter.

The chairwoman of the pro-life organisation ALFA, Cornelia Kaminski, calls the new numbers “shocking”. “There has not been such an increase in the number of abortions in Germany for decades”, Kaminski says to the Christian press office IDEA.

According to the Christian magazine PRO, it is not possible to clearly assess whether and how this development is related to the course of the corona pandemic.

Father

According to the free telephone and online counselling centre Vita L, the most common cause of pregnancy conflict in the counselling sessions is still the relationship between the pregnant woman and the child’s father and the pressure from the child’s father.

“Women are increasingly telling us about their own psychological problems and illnesses, about general fears about the future, fears about life and financial problems,” explains Alexandra Maria Linder, head of Vita L, when asked by PRO. The war in Ukraine, rising energy prices, inflation and fear of an uncertain future are possible factors for the declining willingness to carry a child.

Ban

The German Catholic daily Die Tagespost spoke with Cornelia Kaminski, who is active for a pro-life organisation. She points to the abolition of the advertising ban for abortions from the penal code, which was deleted earlier this year. “After all, this de facto created the possibility of contacting abortion doctors directly, bypassing the advice provided for by the legislature.”