German Unification and the Reform of Abortion Law

Authors

Rosemarie Will, Humboldt University (East Berlin)

Abstract

The article examines the legal and political challenges surrounding abortion law reform in Germany following unification, highlighting the tension between East Germany's liberal "stipulated period" model and West Germany's more restrictive "grounds for termination" approach. It argues that the unification process necessitated a compromise balancing the constitutional protection of fetal life with women's rights to self-determination, ultimately resulting in a hybrid model emphasizing counseling and limited legal access to abortion.

Disciplines

Law | Law and Gender | Law and Society | Sexuality and the Law

Recommended Citation

Rosemarie Will, German Unification and the Reform of Abortion Law, 3 Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just. 399 (1996).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol3/iss2/10