Creating good and fair conditions for abortion is her life’s work – she accepts hatred and agitation for this. The doctor Kristina Hänel is our woman of the month for May.
In 2017 Kristina Hänel became known nationwide as the “abortion doctor” after she was sentenced to a fine for informing about abortions on her website. Because of this violation of the prohibition of information, which is regulated in criminal law paragraph 219a, she had been reported by abortion opponents. In February 2021, she filed a constitutional complaint in Karlsruhe.
For Kristina Hänel, the abolition of the 219a is a life’s work. She is currently the advocate of the campaign “Eliminates Paragraf 219a” of “Terre des Femmes.” The campaign takes up the fact that anyone outside the specialist area is allowed to inform about abortions, except the doctors who perform them www.streicht219a.jetzt A car mechanic and a moderator will provide information about the methods and risks of abortion. On the one hand, the campaign provides valuable information and, on the other hand, shows how absurd the paragraph is.
As a pioneer of the movement against 219a, we choose the courageous doctor Kristina Hänel as our “Strong Woman” of the month of May. We talked to her about her commitment to unwanted pregnant women – and what price she pays for it.
BRIGITTE.de: How did your conviction affect your life?
Kristina Hänel: My life changed completely in 2017. When I went to court, I decided to go public with my case. It then fell on me like a tsunami, even though I was used to attacks by anti-abortionists. But it got significantly more and very massive, including death threats. Even today I still get 20 to 30 emails a day on the subject and attend one to three events per week in addition to my normal everyday life. And I do press work: when it comes to a state ban on information, the fourth estate is an important factor.
When did you start getting involved with unwanted pregnant women?
Immediately after graduating, I started working at a Pro Familia counseling center because the children were still small and I didn’t want to be in the clinic day and night. It was there that I was confronted with the emergency situation of unwanted pregnant women for the first time. I worked to give them the opportunity to have an abortion close to home. After serious political disputes, we finally got the Pro Familia center, where advice and abortion were possible under one roof, but then the doctors jumped us.
Why this?
The political situation had worsened, the anti-abortion opponents had massively gained influence. The social pressure, the hostility, the impending criminal prosecution – that became too much for the doctors.
The social pressure, the hostility, the impending criminal prosecution – that became too much for the doctors.
And then you stepped in?
Yes, because I thought: “You are a doctor and you cannot refuse.” I couldn’t and can’t reconcile it with my conscience to say: Half of the population are women, anyone can get pregnant unintentionally – but if it happens, I don’t care. There also has to be someone willing to perform the interventions.
Are all abortion doctors exposed to hostility?
The anti-abortion opponent Klaus Günter Annen lists about 600 doctors on his website “babykaust” whom he has reported for 219a. There are a lot of proceedings behind it that have been discontinued, but have caused a lot of costs, trouble and effort. Then there is the threat. Annen asks you to follow the doctors on the list. We get threatening emails and find corresponding mail in our mailboxes. You have to endure that.
And how do you stand it?
I’ve got used to it in a way, but it remains stressful. But you shouldn’t let that dissuade you from the path. That’s what they want to achieve.
In 2019, Paragraph 219a was slightly adapted. Since then, doctors have been able to provide information that they abort – but nothing more. Did your case play a role in the law change?
For sure. The parties came together relatively quickly in 2017 to reform or abolish the 219a. It was not deleted, but I see a good chance that the Federal Constitutional Court’s verdict will be positive. I am sure the 219a will not exist in the long run – the consensus in society is clear.
How did the ban on information for abortion doctors actually come about?
That has grown historically. Under the National Socialists they wanted to be able to prosecute doctors before they were caught aborting – if it was clear that they were ready to undertake the operation, which was a criminal act at the time. Today, as a doctor, I am allowed to make abortions, but not to explain the risks and complications. That is completely absurd. Everywhere in medicine I can make informed decisions, only when canceling do I deprive those affected and leave the information to these anti-abortion sharks. If, as a woman, I am concerned with whether or not I will end a pregnancy, I must also be allowed to see other pictures than the one on “babykaust”, where the termination is compared to Auschwitz. This website exists, women go for it – and the state allows it.
In 2020 you won an injunction against Annen, who compared your work to the Holocaust.
Yes, and we have now also filed a criminal complaint against him. There is also the aspect of sedition.
Germany lags behind other countries not only legally, but also when it comes to methods of abortion, you write. What’s going on there?
We still have around 15,000 scrapes a year, and the suction method has been the gold standard for 30 years. When scraping there is a higher risk of bleeding and injury, which is why Germany is not one of the countries that use safe methods. I know a Catholic hospital where the church had the suction device removed so that no secret breaks can be made. However, this also means that after a miscarriage, a patient also has to make do with scraping. This is just one example of the attitude: I am only interested in the so-called protection of unborn life – but not in the health of women.
I know a Catholic hospital where the church had the suction device removed so that no secret abortions can be made.
What price do you pay for your commitment?
I have invested a great deal of time and thought, had sleepless nights, had to endure a maddening threat and a high level of stress, especially since 2017. You need staying power and have to take setbacks. Sometimes I think I can’t anymore, but then my marathon experience helps me.
Was your marathon worth running against 219a?
The bottom line is that the positive aspects are in the foreground for me: For 30 years I worked in a job that nobody wanted to hear about what you were actually doing – unless you were affected yourself. Now many are interested in it, society perceives the problems and that is the right development. I became part of a movement. When I went into my own practice after my time at Pro Familia, I was isolated with the subject. That has totally changed, and it’s nice that so many young people are joining us. There are now many Pro Choice groups, medical professionals, lawyers and others who are involved. The subject is suddenly everywhere.
When do you say: I have achieved my goal?
When women are treated humanely in the event of an unwanted pregnancy – and not like second-class people. This also includes medically correct treatment. That is my big goal.