Abortions are illegal in Germany. However, they remain exempt from punishment if certain conditions are met. In order to terminate the pregnancy, a mandatory counseling appointment must be attended and a three-day waiting period must be observed. In addition, no more than 12 weeks must have passed since fertilization. This is regulated in the Criminal Code in Sections 218 and 218a. For many pregnant women and doctors, this leads to stigmatization and the fear of committing a criminal offense. Figures from the Federal Statistical Office show that fewer and fewer doctors are willing to perform abortions. In April 2024, a commission set up by the federal government recommended the decriminalization of abortions in the first weeks of an unwanted pregnancy. Dissenting voices see Section 218 of the Criminal Code as a necessary barrier and consider the obligation to provide counseling to be indispensable so that the right to life and the protection of the child are addressed. The fundamental ethical conflict regarding abortion therefore still exists between women's self-determination without criminalization and the protection of unborn life. We will discuss 13 questions: Should Paragraph 218 be deleted? Our participants: Micaela Schäfer, erotic model and reality star Melody Haase, reality star Mirrianne Mahn, political activist Fiona Franz, medical student Kristina Schröder, consultant and former Federal Minister for Family Affairs Holger Maul, gynecologist and hospital chief physician Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:10 Should abortions be legalized? 01:09 How did you experience the process of your abortion? 03:05 Were you aware that you were doing something illegal? 06:02 What speaks for or against compulsory counseling? 09:46 Why do people talk about the stigmatization of abortions? 15:31 Should conflict counseling be voluntary? 20:35 How can we ensure that fewer women end up in the situation where they have to have an abortion? 22:27 How is abortion currently taught? 23:45 Would education and care improve if Section 218 were abolished? 26:07 Would covering the costs of treatment lead to more justice? 28:02 Can we agree to legalize abortions and still keep compulsory counseling? 30:33 Can we agree that contraceptives are free, more treatment costs are covered, online counseling is offered and care is guaranteed? 32:25 Can we agree on free, over-the-counter contraceptives and compulsory counseling in doctors' offices? You can find more content on this and similar topics here: Legalize abortion? frontal https://kurz.zdf.de/oi7o/ Faith, power, ideology - the dangerous network of anti-abortion activists The trail https://kurz.zdf.de/Sggv/ Gut feeling – Overview of all episodes https://kurz.zdf.de/a3I8/ Unwanted pregnancy: What could change with abortions The other question https://kurz.zdf.de/0OIZ/ Who decides if I'm pregnant? – The Roe v. Wade case The case https://kurz.zdf.de/WsMo/ Host: Jo Schück ZDF editorial team: Dr. Stefan Münker ZDF format development: Vanessa Olivier, Leonie Steinfeld ZDF social media editorial team: Laura Díaz, Muriel Spiegel, Schahrzad Zamankhan, Lara-Celine Saalmann, Annelina Stahmer ZDF online editorial team: Janina Dillmann ZDF production: Anna Schmid 13 Questions is a format from ZDFkultur in collaboration with Hyperbole. More information here: https://kurz.zdf.de/GJLcg/ Director / Author: Lisa Hafemann, Andreas Müller Editor: Althea Pappas, Caroline Weigele, Henrike Rau Social Media Editor: Clemens Egger, Malik Jalloh Camera: Michel Gumnior, Fabian Uhlmann, Taner Asma, Sebastian Linder Light: Micha Plundrich, Ulrich Kalliske Sound & sound mixing: Wladimir Gelwich Set design: Justus Saretz Production manager: Denise Ghard Editing: Suraj Chandran Graphics: Mark Trompetter Producer: Bastian Asdonk Production manager: Laura Obereisenbuchner