We are a Germany-wide network of doctors and medical students. We also welcome people from other healthcare professions, such as nursing, midwifery or pregnancy conflict counselling.
Understanding
We are united by the conviction that a self-determined approach to sexuality, reproduction and family planning is essential for the health of all people and for equality in our society. As Doctors for Choice Germany e.V., our work is health-orientated, evidence-based and feminist; for us, the latter means rejecting any discrimination based on gender and sexuality. We rely on our experience-based knowledge in the field of reproductive health and on the reports of our patients. However, we also incorporate the results of high-quality studies, the requirements of international organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the recommendations of national and international specialist societies into our work.
Foundation
The association was founded in 2019 by Dr. Alicia Baier (Chairwoman) and Dr. Leonie Kühn (Deputy Chairwoman).
Background
For several years now, there have been many doctors across Germany who are committed to reproductive health and justice. Until now, however, they were not organised in a common umbrella organisation. We founded ourselves in order to have a common platform for our concerns. This is urgently needed in view of the increasingly patchy care situation and the problematic legal situation for doctors in the field of abortion. We would like to enrich the socio-political debate on abortion with factual, evidence-based and health-orientated contributions. Improving medical education and training as well as the care situation is a core element of our work.
The Committee
The current committee includes physicians Dr. Alicia Baier (chairwoman), Dr. Leonie Kühn (deputy chairwoman), Dr. Christiane Tennhardt, Dr. Jana Maeffert as well as the medical student Paula Kurz (treasurer). They all have many years of experience in fighting for implementing and improving abortion teaching in medical faculties.
The Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee provides expertise and advice to the Committee. Currently, it consists of three members: Julia von Kanitz since 2019 (organizational developer and coach), Nora Szász (gynecologist) and Kristina Hänel (general practitioner) since 2022.
Honorary Member
We would like to thank Kristina Hänel for her important and long-standing commitment to the purposes of our association and also as a member of the Advisory Board from 2022 to 2024.
Members
Many experienced gynaecologists and general practitioners come together under our roof, as well as specialists in other fields and doctors in further training. Medical students and other people from the health care sector also make up a large part of the organisation. Most of us have been committed to the reproductive self-determination of our patients for years. Many of the doctors perform abortions themselves.
Doctors
Med Students
Other
In the world we seek to promote, all people would have the right to…
- express their sexuality, as long as it is consensual and third parties are not disturbed in the process;
a state-subsidised contraception and sex education, starting in schools;
decide if and how many children they want to have and to receive adequate government support if they decide to become parents;
have access to abortion care in the event of an (unwanted) pregnancy;
factual and evidence-based information on reproductive health topics, such as contraceptives and abortion care, regardless of the provider;
protection from false information about abortion and from attacks by anti-abortion activists;
local access to counselling and medical treatment; and
reproductive health care that is covered by health insurance.