2024 - The “Gut Feeling” series breaks the taboo topic of abortion

In 2022, over 100,000 abortions were carried out in Germany. Statistically speaking, one in five women terminates their pregnancy. But hardly anyone talks about it. The “Gut Feeling” series does this and explains what it means for those affected to be unintentionally pregnant.

“My stomach is mine.” That was the slogan that called for the abolition of Section 218 and thus the legalization of abortion. For the first time in the 1970s. In 2024 we won’t be much further along. Unfortunately. The topic is hot again right now. A commission on reproductive self-determination and reproductive medicine has been meeting since March 2023 and has finally made the recommendation to legalize abortions up to the twelfth week.

Abortion – still a criminal offense

Even if this means that something may change soon, the ban still applies in Germany at the moment. This is what it says in Section 218 of the Criminal Code (StGB) in the section “Crimes against life”, which also lists murder and manslaughter. An abortion only remains unpunished if certain conditions are met, and then neither the pregnant woman nor the medical staff may be prosecuted.

The following conditions apply: the twelfth week of pregnancy must not be exceeded, advice from a recognized pregnancy conflict counseling center is mandatory and a three-day reflection period must be observed. The costs of an abortion are only covered by health insurance as a result of rape or if there is a risk to the pregnant woman’s health. There are a lot of regulations that don’t exactly help those affected to speak freely about their abortion stories. However, destigmatization and openness towards the topic would be important in order to be able to help those affected who feel left alone with their unwanted pregnancy.

“Gut feeling” puts voluntary abortion in the foreground

The ZDFneo series “Gut Feeling” has taken on this task and – without looking for simple solutions – tells the challenges of an abortion based on an individual’s fate. In fact, abortions are still often accompanied by negative evaluations and therefore lead to shame for those affected. Laura Berlin, who plays the involuntarily pregnant Lena in the series, confirms this.

Voluntary abortion appears to remain a major taboo topic in our society, with fear of social stigma often being at the forefront. That surprised me and in a way shocked me – Laura Berlin

Both protagonist Laura Berlin and director Esther Rauch hope that the series will stimulate discourse and thereby be able to change something. In an interview with Brigitte, the two explain why, even after so many years of fighting for the right to female self-determination, “gut feeling” is still at the center of the times – if not more so than ever.

Interview with Esther Rauch and Laura Berlin

BRIGITTE: Ms. Rauch, your series deals with a very sensitive, emotional topic. How did you go about it?

Esther Rauch: In terms of content, it was very important for me to tell the story of one woman. When it comes to this topic in particular, you can’t say “that’s how it works” and that’s certainly because the crime is always involved. There is no norm because abortion is not treated as normal by society.

True. In Germany, abortion is still a criminal offense by law. Do you think anything will change in the future?

Esther Rauch: At least I hope so. But when Trump threatens to ban abortion across the country if re-elected, that scares me. I believe abortion needs to be decriminalized. Personally, I think very highly of the pregnancy conflict counseling centers. However, I believe that this advice must be voluntary and that there must be a point of contact if a woman cannot have a child for financial reasons, for example. Forcing people to go to counseling in order to avoid punishment cannot be a solution.

Ms. Berlin, did you have any contact with the topic of abortion before you started filming?

Laura Berlin: I have been following the debate about paragraphs 218 and 219a for a long time because I was already aware of the relevance of this decision before I had a “gut feeling”. Because it’s about a woman’s fundamental right to self-determination over her own body. For a long time I thought that I didn’t personally know any woman who had had a voluntary abortion. But statistically speaking, that can’t be the case.

As a basis for the role of Lena, you were presented with twelve interviews from women who had experienced a voluntary abortion and talked about their individual experiences. What was it like for you to read these reports?

Laura Berlin: Strictly speaking, the series is not based on the interviews, but they were an important source of information for me. There is still a lot of silence about the issue because those affected are often afraid of judgment and stigmatization. For many, the decision and the entire process was already difficult enough and they do not want to be exposed to any further questions or judgments. I was struck by how much injustice these women often have to endure.

Were there certain points that you as director definitely wanted to include, Ms. Rauch?

Esther Rauch: For me it was a requirement to sketch a woman who had no compelling external reasons for having an abortion. And: for whom this decision is clear from the start. Although she has an internal battle with what exactly this will look like for her, she has no doubts about the decision. Lena’s “Not now” is a reason to cancel! My aim was not to show pros and cons or even to moralize, but rather to let different attitudes collide.

And “gut feeling” looks even when it hurts…

Esther Rauch: That was the second thing that was important to me. That we show a woman who faces up to it, who wants to know what she is deciding against. Who wants to see the fetus on an ultrasound. And at the same time we also show the audience Lena leaving and the fetus in the toilet bowl.

Mrs. Berlin, in the series Lena presents her husband with a fait accompli. She doesn’t want the child. Have you felt inner conflict?

Laura Berlin: The decision Lena makes is definitely not one she makes lightly. I don’t think she is excluding her partner from her decision or path or ignoring his feelings. It’s hard for both of them. But it’s Lena’s body and her decision. I also share this opinion personally.

“Gut feeling” saves the viewer little. An employee tries to change Lena’s mind and puts her under moral pressure. Demonstrators line up in front of the clinic and insult Lena as a murderer. How did that feel for you?

Laura Berlin: I don’t want to presume to claim that I can really understand what it means for a person to make this decision. It is a very complex, difficult and emotional path. But the scene in which Lena is surrounded by demonstrators and has to endure their shouting and threats struck a chord with me.

How would you summarize the core message of the series?

Esther Rauch: For me it’s about making things visible. About breaking the silence and no longer making women feel like they are bad people because pregnancy and having a child are out of the question for them. There are many women who have been in such a situation. Knowing that you are not the only one, not alone. There are a variety of reasons why a woman decides to have an abortion. But I maintain that no woman makes this decision lightly. And every woman would rather not have to make that decision.