As the jury, we are awarding this year's Anne Klein Prize to Natascha Nicklaus, Nora Szász, and Kristina Hänel—who represent all our fellow activists—in recognition of their fight for the rights of all women and doctors.
Original language: German
A warm welcome to the 2019 Anne Klein Award ceremony. This marks the eighth time we have presented this award, which was established by Anne Klein.
“Anyone who publicly […] for financial gain or in a grossly offensive manner offers, announces, or promotes their own or another’s services for the purpose of performing or facilitating an abortion […] or publishes statements to that effect shall be punished with imprisonment for up to two years or a fine.” Section 219a of the Criminal Code.
Because of this section, doctors such as our three award recipients have been subjected to hostility, reported to the authorities, and, in Kristina Hänel’s case, even convicted.
On their websites, they state that they perform abortions in their practices. All three refuse to remove the information about these medical services from their websites and are vocally advocating in court and in public for women’s free access to medically accurate information, for the free practice of medicine by doctors, and thus for the repeal of Section 219a.
Section 219a must go.
This is and remains the demand of a broad coalition, even after the so-called grand coalition compromise. We will not accept being allowed to mention abortion on websites but being prohibited from providing information about methods and risks. This section continues to violate the fundamental rights to freedom of occupation and freedom of information. It violates patients’ right to self-determination and the right to equality. It continues to criminalize doctors who practice their profession responsibly and in the best interests of their patients. Last but not least, this provision violates the human right to sexual and reproductive self-determination.
It must be repealed. Now. Immediately. And without half-hearted compromises.
Natascha Nicklaus, Nora Szász, and Kristina Hänel have long been courageously leading the debate with conviction. Alongside them, many women, feminists, and politicians are fighting for the repeal of this section. As the jury for the Anne Klein Prize, we are honoring these three women this year—on behalf of all their fellow activists—for fighting for the rights of all women and doctors.
They are pioneers whose immense achievement is that this society has once again taken a close look at how and under what conditions women have access to abortions—and at the unreasonable burdens that still accompany this process for women and doctors alike—all because of Section 219.
Unfortunately, anyone who speaks out against the criminalization resulting from this paragraph also exposes themselves to massive hostility. With this award, we wish to express our solidarity—a solidarity that, fortunately, you have also experienced time and again.
Getting involved, refusing to accept injustice, and remaining steadfast—these have always been the guiding principles of Anne Klein’s political life. Your commitment reminded us, as the jury, of Anne Klein and many of her fellow activists.
In 1993, a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court led to a transitional regulation that prevented, above all, foreign women and socially disadvantaged women from receiving funding for abortions through social assistance. Anne was outraged. She wanted women to be able to make decisions freely and autonomously, without fear or worry about money. And the social pressure at that time was still enormous. Renate Künast, a jury member and friend of Anne Klein, recounted how she and Anne sat in the House of Representatives over the Pentecost weekend in 1993, sorting through hundreds of letters, making phone calls, and rallying supporters to organize backing for the women’s campaign.
In 1990, Anne Klein was the Senator for Women, Youth, and Family in Berlin. In a speech in the House of Representatives, when the issue of whether the criminalization of abortions should be extended to the territory of the former GDR was being debated, she said: “That must not happen, and it will not happen”—unfortunately, she was wrong. The West prevailed once again and did not include the GDR’s “time-limit” model in the Unification Treaty.
“Punishment serves no purpose; punishment does not protect—on the contrary,” Anne said in the same speech in August 1990. And her colleague at the time in the Berlin Senate, Jutta Limbach, seconded her point: “This is about removing criminal law from an area where it is not effective but only exacerbates conflicts. We are still a long way from decriminalizing abortion.” Unfortunately, this remains the case to this day.
We, the jury, are absolutely certain that Anne would be fighting in solidarity alongside the female doctors.
Like them, she argues against the paternalism and criminalization of women and for self-determination over our bodies. This also requires factual and comprehensive information, as well as a guaranteed environment free from hardship and worry, and free access to medical care everywhere. What we do not need are myths, defamation, and the threat of criminal prosecution.
The Great Coalition’s amendment to the law definitely does not go far enough, because it continues to prohibit medical professionals from providing their patients with comprehensive information about a medical procedure. It has therefore failed to dispel the mistrust toward female doctors and the paternalistic treatment of women. Even in Germany in 2019, sexual and reproductive rights are not a given.
That is why: Together with women like you, we will continue to fight—for reproductive and sexual rights, for equality, justice, and self-determination.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and it is an honor for me and for us as the jury to present the 2019 Anne Klein Women’s Award to you.
We congratulate you most warmly and hope that this award will be a source of encouragement for you.
