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The number of abortions fell last year to its lowest level since the survey began.
In around 94,600 cases, women opted for the procedure, which was 5.4 percent fewer than in the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday in Wiesbaden.
This is the lowest number since the Federal Office began the time series on abortions in 1996, when 130,899 interventions were counted.
Previously, there was no legal basis for these statistics, said a spokesman.
Apparently no connection with Corona
A clear reason for the decline does not emerge from the available data, the authority explained.
A connection with the corona pandemic is not recognizable because the number of terminations in 2020, which was also heavily influenced by the crisis, fell by only 0.9 percent.
According to the statistics, most women who had an abortion were between 18 and 34 years old (70 percent).
Around eight percent of the women were 40 years old and older, three percent were younger than 18 years.
At 41 percent, almost half of those affected had not yet given birth to a child before the abortion.
Sharp decline among younger people
96 percent of the interventions were carried out according to the so-called advisory regulation.
Since 1995, abortion has not been punishable within the first twelve weeks if the woman seeks advice beforehand.
In the remaining four percent, indications for medical reasons and due to sexual offenses were the reasons for the termination.
Then a later abortion is still possible.
In a ten-year comparison, the statistical office registered significantly fewer abortions.
According to this, a total of 14,300 fewer cases were reported in 2021 than in 2011. The number in the younger age groups fell at an above-average rate.
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There were around 40 percent or 1,500 fewer abortions among 15 to 17 year olds and around 41 percent fewer among 18 to 19 year olds.
Part of this effect is due to the fact that the number of women in these age groups in Germany has decreased over the same period.
Abolition of the advertising ban
In relation to the size of the respective age groups, the number of abortions per 10,000 women also fell in a ten-year comparison: among 15- to 17-year-old women from 32 to 20, among 18- to 19-year-olds from 83 to 52, among 20-year-olds - up to 24 year olds from 113 to 82.
In recent years there has been controversy over Section 219a of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes »advertising for the termination of pregnancy«.
Doctors who publish factual information about abortions must therefore expect criminal proceedings.
The case of a general practitioner from Gießen has become known nationwide.
The new federal government consisting of SPD, Greens and FDP wants to delete the controversial paragraph.
This will make it easier for women to get information about where they can have an abortion.
However, this does not mean that there is no obligation to provide advice.
sun/AFP/dpa
