[Stringent responsibilities of the physician in pregnancy termination. The decision of the 28 May 1993 federal court mandates new guidelines].
In declaring abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy fundamentally illegal but not punishable, the Federal Constitutional Court wants to guarantee the constitutionally necessary protection of the embryo by intensifying counselling and help for the pregnant woman. The physician to whom the woman has turned to have an abortion is thus included in the procedure. He is, however, obliged by professional ethics and law to use all his influence basically for the preservation of human life--including unborn human life. His obligation to counsel and inform is thus extended. In his counselling he is to include the woman's conflicting views about abortion beyond the pure medical aspect. He is to ascertain the reasons why the woman demands abortion. He is to try to find out about the deeper reasons (e.g. the influence of the family and of the social environment) and is thus to point out the dangers of subsequent psychological disorders.
Faller
H J
HJ
D000029:Abortion, Legal; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016365:Liability, Legal; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011247:Pregnancy
Strenge Inpflichtnahme des Arztes beim Schwangerschaftsabbruch. Das Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts vom 28. Mai 1993 stellt neue Grundsätze auf.