Abortion Rights Activist: Thousands Travel Abroad Every Year

: Mrs. Islinger, what does the criminalization of abortion concretely mean for those affected?

Lara Islinger: They are being blocked with obstacles. The criminalization of abortion creates structural hurdles and is also one reason why the care situation is so poor. That’s why it must go. This demand is not as radical as many think. The complete decriminalization of abortion and the removal of all barriers to access are, for example, recommended by the World Health Organization.

: What are these structural hurdles?

Islinger: The mandatory counseling, the three-day waiting period, the legally mandated separation of advising and performing personnel, that only physicians may perform abortions, the costs, the twelve-week limit, and more.

: What arguments are there for extending the twelve-week limit?

Islinger: Most abortions occur early in pregnancy, but there will always be people who need a later abortion. For example, when pregnancy is detected late, due to medical complications or tragic reasons, such as the death of a partner. Every year thousands therefore have to travel abroad. Many have trouble gathering the money for it. Because of such hurdles, abortions are delayed further. This cannot go on. Abortions must always be possible – as early as possible and as late as necessary.

: Why should we view abortions intersectionally?

Islinger: Because the decision for or against a pregnancy is determined by life circumstances. Only when social inequalities are overcome can the decision for or against a pregnancy truly be free.

. In what sense?

Islinger: For example, the largest risk of poverty in Germany is having children. There are also many factors such as racism or ableism that influence the decision and access. It is important to me to apply the perspective of reproductive justice to abortions.

: What is this about?

Islinger: The concept of reproductive justice was founded in the 1990s by Black American feminists. It means both the right to have children and the right not to have children – and the right to raise children under safe and dignified conditions. With regard to abortions, this means acknowledging how often these decisions are influenced by economic and social pressure, and that we also fight for better conditions for those who choose to have children.

: People affected who have undergone an abortion sometimes report traumatic experiences. To what extent do the legal hurdles contribute?

Islinger: It is important to say that there is a distorted discussion about the psychological consequences of abortions. For example, the “Post-Abortion Syndrome” is a stubborn myth. Long-term studies show: the most common emotion associated with an abortion, even years later, is relief. However, all kinds of feelings can occur in connection with an abortion. When people report traumatic experiences, it is often due to the stressful circumstances under which the abortion took place: for example the stigmatization, the forced “reflection time,” and other hurdles already mentioned, which lead to the doctor and the method not being freely chosen.