German lawmakers passed a bill July 5 that will create a buffer zone around abortion facilities, preventing pro-lifers from praying and ministering within the space.
The “Pregnancy Conflict Act” will establish a radius of 100-meters (328-feet) around the nation’s abortion facilities; anyone caught praying or counseling on behalf of preborn children within that area will be subject to a fine of 5,000 euros. The restriction is similar to laws that have recently been enacted elsewhere around the world, including in the UK, Scotland, and Ireland.
Lawmakers approved the bill even though a German high court ruled last year that the country cannot impose bans on peaceful pro-life gatherings outside abortion facilities.
Many pro-life groups have spoken out with their disappointment following the bill’s passage.
“This is a frontal attack on the foundations of our democracy: the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion are thus being restricted in an unconstitutional manner for a select group of people,” said Cornelia Kaminski, Federal Chairwoman of the Action for the Right to Life for All (ALfA).
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“The Bundestag’s decision to ban prayer vigils in front of counseling centers is a massive infringement on the rights to freedom of religion, opinion and assembly, which must be granted to pro-life activists just as much as to environmental and climate activists. The aim cited to justify these restrictions on basic rights, namely to prevent “harassment” of medical staff in abortion facilities, is a mirage,” stated Dr. Kai Witzel and Julia Kim, board members of the organization Doctors for Life.
The duo noted that though the law was passed to protect women from “nuisance” encounters with pro-lifers, supporters were not able to provide evidence of any “nuisance” instances having occurred.
“The claim that people peacefully advocating for the right to life are preventing medical staff in abortion facilities from practicing their profession is far-fetched: if this were actually a problem, the media would have been full of reports about such incidents,” they wrote, noting, ” [T]he Federal Government is not concerned with protecting medical personnel, but rather with stigmatizing and criminalizing people who stand up for the most fundamental human right of all: the right to life.”
