: Mrs. Windscheid, you have performed abortions for 35 years. What originally motivated you to become a gynecologist?
Cornelia Windscheid: I became involved in the women’s movement of the 1970s before finishing high school. It demanded, among other things, changes in women’s healthcare, away from patriarchal structures. Thus the decision to study medicine and become a gynecologist was also influenced by the desire to contribute to women-centered medical care.
: Abortions are still regulated by the Penal Code. How does criminalization affect practice?
Windscheid: The placement within criminal law leads, in parts of society, to the perception that abortions are immoral. This results in stigma, taboo, and in some places prevents unwanted pregnant people from obtaining safe and barrier-free access to abortion procedures. The bureaucracy is complex. Physicians who want to provide the best possible care for unwanted pregnancies have in the past been harassed and sued by anti-abortion activists. That can massively undermine confidence and prevent clinicians from offering abortions. Despite prohibitions, there are again and again so‑called sidewalk disturbances in front of practicing clinics. The mere fact that, with Paragraph 219a StGB, there was a ban on information in the 21st century until 2022, speaks volumes.
In the Interview: Cornelia Windscheid
is a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics.
: Can you give an example of the structural hurdles faced by those affected?
Windscheid: Even the counseling obligation can be a hurdle. Obtaining the counseling certificate may be easy in Hamburg, but in Bavaria or Rhineland-Palatinate it looks very different. For, for example, a single parent without a car in an underserved region, getting a counseling appointment on time and, above all, accessible, can be impossible.
: How do you view the future given the current political situation?
Windscheid: We are worldwide faced with currents that challenge reproductive rights. After the draft bill to repeal Paragraph 218 of the German Penal Code did not pass before the elections, that goal seemed pushed far into the distance.
: The draft by the Greens, SPD, and Left was blocked in the Justice Committee. In the current coalition agreement, reproductive rights are hardly mentioned.
Windscheid: And if this continues, there will also be no majority for it at the next election. That is sad. Still, I am hopeful. A representative poll shows that 80 percent of respondents in Germany support a regulation of abortion outside the StGB. At the German Medical Association’s meeting in 2025, for the first time a majority spoke in favor of a new regulation outside the StGB and urged policymakers to act. I believe we must work to keep the spirit of progress, that we do not let ourselves be intimidated, and that we do not retreat from our demands. Among these are also a barrier-free availability of appropriate contraception, sexual self-determination, and sex education.
“Abortion – Why is the stigma in Germany so strong?” with Gabie Raven (gynecologist), Cornelia Windscheid (gynecologist), Sarah Schadendorf (jurist) and Jördis Zill (psychologist): Thu, 25 Sept., 6 p.m., Hamburg, Pro Familia Counseling Center, free admission
: What would you advise medical students who want to learn to perform abortions?
Windscheid: For several years there have been the Papaya workshops run by Medical Students for Choice. I can really only recommend them to get a sense of the procedure. And, of course, a clinical internship (Famulatur), which is already part of the curriculum, in a facility where both medical and surgical abortions are performed.
