The is the statements made by abortion opponents

1. Claim: There is in the case of abortion, in Germany, a high number of unreported cases.

The view of abortion opponents: Among other things, the Association “Doctors for life” claims that not all Doctors would have to report, in Germany abortion. In addition, there were illegal abortions. To be the reality, should abortions be multiplied by the official Figures to a Pregnancy by a factor of two.

Check: In Germany, writes a law since the mid-nineties, years prior to that, medical abortions report. For the implementation of the Federal Statistical office is responsible. It manages, since 1996, a database of all Doctors and clinics are able to abortions.

On this Basis, a multi-stage process is performed:

  • The facilities do not report, the Federal Agency of its obligation to provide information, associated with a response deadline.
  • This is a failure, is followed by a second Letter with the announcement of an impending fine of up to 5000 Euro.
  • The practices come from and not to Jack this request, the legal Department of the Federal Statistical office.

“As a rule, report the offending person required to provide Information, at the latest, in the second Mahnrunde, so rare, an administrative offence proceeding must be initiated,” writes the German Federal Statistical office on demand from SPIEGEL ONLINE. On the Basis of the present procedure one can exclude that there is a abortion of significant underreporting in the case of Pregnancy.

Conclusion: There is no high number of unreported cases.

2. Claim: The unborn child is developed between the sixth and twelfth week of very far – and to feel able, pain and panic.

The point of view of the opponent of abortion: On the side of “Pro life”, it means the unborn babies to be early to be able to feel pain and panic if their life will be threatened. Also the “Doctors for life” to write that children feel from the ninth week of pregnancy due to the already existing nervous structures is a pain.

Check: In Germany, women can up to 12. Week* criminal abortion-free if you can prove that you have participated in an Advisory. Up to this point are created in the fetus, although all the organs. Just complex functions need to develop, however. This is also true for the sensation of pain.

Thus, a person feels pain when an injury must be three structures in his body exist and interact with each other:

  • A Receptor that takes the pain and a nerve stimulus converts.
  • Nerves, transmitting the Signal via the spinal cord to the brain.
  • Structures in the brain that translate the stimulus into a feeling of pain.

One of these components is missing or disturbed a connection, the whole System breaks down, such as paraplegia show With the cutting of the nerve, the feeling of pain in Parts of the body is lost pathways in the spinal cord.

Fetuses usually develop until the last third of the pregnancy physical condition in order to feel pain, including a study summary from the year 2005 can be read.

Accordingly, the form of 7. to 15. Pregnancy week receptors the pain. The nerves in the spine are, however, only around 19. So far, the signals from the receptors. In the 23. – 24. Week of pregnancy, the stimuli reach the key regions in the brain. Until the Baby is awake and something can perceive, it takes according to the researchers, however, at least up to 30. Week.

Accordingly, it is excluded that fetuses can feel in the twelfth week of pain. What you develop, however, already earlier, are reflexes. Thus, it may be, for example, that a fetus instinctively pulls back when touched. Such reflexes happen unconsciously, in General, the brain is not involved. For this reason, it is wrong to conclude from the existence of reflections on the existence of pain.

Conclusion: In the twelfth week of the absence of the fetus, the physical conditions, pain to feel.

3. Statement: little is known about how much abortions women’s burden mentally.

The point of view of the opponent of abortion: How abortion will affect the mental health is not sufficiently known. The the of Jens Spahn (CDU) – led Federal Ministry of health looks so. The Federal Cabinet has just approved five million euros, in order to explore the psychological consequences of abortions.

Check: researchers are working since the eighties with the question of how abortion on the Psyche have an impact. At a Glance a group of American psychologists Association 2008 attracted more than 70 international studies, the first of which were published in 1989.

The researchers highlighted the significance of a part of the studies, they referred only to special cases:

  • Little is known therefore about the emotional distress in women who have aborted several pregnancies
  • or due to medical reasons a wanted pregnancy late had to stop.

The psychological consequences of a typical abortion, but – so a one-off cancellation in the case of a woman who unintentionally became pregnant – was rated by the researchers ten years ago, as a relatively well-studied. Since then, several more studies have appeared, some with Thousands of participants (including this, this and this, results see next point).

Conclusion: Only a few, relatively rare cases, a lack of information about abortion on the Psyche have an impact.

4. Statement: abortions make women mentally ill, many develop a “Post-Abortion syndrome”. The existence of this mental disorder but it is concealed.

The view of abortion opponents: the “Doctors for life” claim that almost every second woman suffering after an abortion psychologically. This is not known, explain them with “collective displacement”.

British researchers summarized the order of the Ministry of health in 2011, the findings of the psychological effects of pregnancy terminations compact. They concentrated on the data of women who were for the first Time became unintentionally pregnant:

  • No matter whether the women fought your child or for an abortion to be decided – they have developed approximately the same psychological problems. An abortion does not increase the risk to mental ill health.
  • However, people with mental illnesses were more often unwanted pregnancies. This explains why women who have abortions are more likely to be mentally ill than the company average.
  • Whether, women developed after an abortion have a mental illness, depended primarily on whether you have previously had mental health problems. The Same was true for women who gave birth to the child.
  • In addition, factors related specifically with the abortion and the risk for mental health problems increase exist, however: the problem was, if the Partner urged the woman to have an abortion, or they themselves had abortions have a negative attitude.

Combined will not so say that women who abort suffer somewhat more common mental health problems – the termination of the pregnancy but the cause for it.

“Decades of research show that abortions do not cause mental illness. Nevertheless, it is not always false information,” is the conclusion of Nada Stotland and Angela Shrestha of the University of Illinois at Chicago in an Editorial in the journal “Jama Psychiatry”.

Of course, abortions are often a profound experience and may take place under difficult circumstances, write to the Doctors. “Women draw an abortion consider and think about consequence of diseases, should be informed.”

The best result was to be expected always, if women on the Basis of their values, their faith and their Situation make an Autonomous decision and then unconditionally support no matter how your decision goes.

Conclusion: A “Post-Abortion syndrome” does not exist.


* In regard to abortions is the 12. Week after fertilization meant. Doctors calculate the pregnancy, often from the first day of the menstrual period. Since this takes place two weeks before ovulation and two weeks prior to fertilization, is a crash in the as a rule up to 14. medical calculation week.