Goethe immortalised the shaming of German women 200 years ago – we're still at it
What would Gretchen do today, I wonder. Her fate is not only a result of sexual abuse and an inherently misogynistic morality, but also nonexistent reproductive rights. In today's Germany, abortion is still illegal under the criminal code. It is nonpunishable under certain conditions, particularly during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but nonetheless, in practice a modern-day Gretchen might have difficulty finding a doctor willing to perform a termination, depending on where she lives. Moreover, Gretchen might be intimidated by the stigma, which is not just societal but enshrined in German law.
For decades now, the so-called paragraph 218 that criminalises abortion has been subject to political debate. Poland and the US are living proof that, even if not prosecuting anyone for carrying out or procuring an abortion is the accepted practice, that can be toppled quickly when ultraconservatives are in power.
The last German government, under the Social Democratic party's (SPD) Olaf Scholz, made an attempt to reform paragraph 218 before losing power, but failed. Obviously, nobody expects the current German government, led by the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), to take any progressive decisions on the right to physical self-determination. But what is now happening at the Bundestag goes further than preserving this outdated law – which must surely fall foul of international human rights standards.
After weeks of an orchestrated rightwing social media campaign, the election by the Bundestag of three new judges to the constitutional court (Germany's highest court) was unexpectedly cancelled last week. The reason: one of candidates, Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, a 54-year-old jurist and professor, stands accused of holding extremist leftwing positions, because she supports the decriminalisation of abortion.
Anyone who has listened to or read Brosius-Gersdorf's judicial reasoning knows that she fully relies on the German constitution in her arguments and carefully evaluates the rights of the mother and the embryo depending on the phase of pregnancy. In the early phase, according to Brosius-Gersdorf, the mother's rights predominate. In the later phase, as soon as the embryo is viable, the embryo's right to life has to be protected.
Claims that Brosius-Gersdorf is in favour of abortions until the ninth month of pregnancy are blatant lies, spread by rightwing media as well as far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politicians.
The fact that Brosius-Gersdorf, who was nominated by the SPD, also argues for a ban on the AfD due to the classification of it by German intelligence as rightwing extremist might have been the real trigger for the propaganda campaign against her.
Other accusations have circulated around the jurist's recommendation for compulsory vaccination during the pandemic, and allegations that her PhD thesis was plagiarised (which were proven to be false). But not until the focus fell on her allegedly radical views on abortion did the mobilisation succeed. Parts of the governing coalition – 50 to 60 Christian Democrat MPs – raised doubts about her nomination, which led to postponement of the vote, which will probably now be delayed until after the summer recess. Appointments to the constitutional court require a two-thirds parliamentary majority in a secret ballot.
Her critics now expect Brosius-Gersdorf to withdraw, although the SPD, Greens and the leftwing party Die Linke continue to uphold her nomination.
Sign up to This is Europe
The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment
after newsletter promotion
Now, all of this might sound very familiar to those who have followed the US culture wars of the past decade. Some commentators speak of the 'Trumpification of German politics', since the whole debacle is founded on fake news and defamation. But the stigma of abortion itself is not an imported phenomenon. It is part of German cultural identity, perpetuated by the Gretchen tragedy, which has never really gone out of date.
Paragraph 218, by the way, is a relic from the 1871 criminal code and almost as old as Faust. Gretchen would certainly be surprised that so little has changed when it comes to bodily autonomy.
Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe columnist
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
US-EU trade deal wards off further escalation but will raise costs for companies, consumers
President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump's threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy European products could raise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their partners who bring goods into the country. Here are some things to know about the trade deal between the United States and the European Union: What's in the agreement? Trump and von der Leyen's announcement, made during Trump's visit to one of his golf courses in Scotland, leaves many details to be filled in. The headline figure is a 15% tariff rate on 'the vast majority' of European goods brought into the U.S., including cars, computer chips and pharmaceuticals. It's lower than the 20% Trump initially proposed, and lower than his threats of 50% and then 30%. Von der Leyen said the two sides agreed on zero tariffs on both sides for a range of 'strategic' goods: Aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products, and some natural resources and critical raw materials. Specifics were lacking. She said the two sides 'would keep working' to add more products to the list. Additionally, the EU side would purchase what Trump said was $750 billion (638 billion euros) worth of natural gas, oil and nuclear fuel to replace Russian energy supplies, and Europeans would invest an additional $600 billion (511 billion euros) in the U.S. What's not in the deal? Trump said the 50% U.S. tariff on imported steel would remain; von der Leyen said the two sides agreed to further negotiations to fight a global steel glut, reduce tariffs and establish import quotas — that is, set amounts that can be imported, often at a lower rate. Trump said pharmaceuticals were not included in the deal. Von der Leyen said the pharmaceuticals issue was 'on a separate sheet of paper' from Sunday's deal. Where the $600 billion for additional investment would come from was not specified. And von der Leyen said that when it came to farm products, the EU side made clear that 'there were tariffs that could not be lowered,' without specifying which products. What's the impact? The 15% rate removes Trump's threat of a 30% tariff. It's still much higher than the average tariff before Trump came into office of around 1%, and higher than Trump's minimum 10% baseline tariff. Higher tariffs, or import taxes, on European goods mean sellers in the U.S. would have to either increase prices for consumers — risking loss of market share — or swallow the added cost in terms of lower profits. The higher tariffs are expected to hurt export earnings for European firms and slow the economy. The 10% baseline applied while the deal was negotiated was already sufficiently high to make the European Union's executive commission cut its growth forecast for this year from 1.3% to 0.9%. Von der Leyen said the 15% rate was 'the best we could do' and credited the deal with maintaining access to the U.S. market and providing 'stability and predictability for companies on both sides.' What is some of the reaction to the deal? German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal which avoided 'an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations" and said that 'we were able to preserve our core interests,' while adding that 'I would have very much wished for further relief in transatlantic trade.' The Federation of German Industries was blunter. "Even a 15% tariff rate will have immense negative effects on export-oriented German industry," said Wolfgang Niedermark, a member of the federation's leadership. While the rate is lower than threatened, "the big caveat to today's deal is that there is nothing on paper, yet," said Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING bank. 'With this disclaimer in mind and at face value, today's agreement would clearly bring an end to the uncertainty of recent months. An escalation of the US-EU trade tensions would have been a severe risk for the global economy," Brzeski said. 'This risk seems to have been avoided.' What about car companies? Asked if European carmakers could still sell cars at 15%, von der Leyen said the rate was much lower than the current 27.5%. That has been the rate under Trump's 25% tariff on cars from all countries, plus the preexisting U.S. car tariff of 2.5%. The impact is likely to be substantial on some companies, given that automaker Volkswagen said it suffered a 1.3 billion euro ($1.5 billion) hit to profit in the first half of the year from the higher tariffs. Mercedes-Benz dealers in the U.S. have said they are holding the line on 2025 model year prices 'until further notice.' The German automaker has a partial tariff shield because it makes 35% of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold in the U.S. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but the company said it expects prices to undergo 'significant increases' in coming years. What were the issues dividing the two sides? Before Trump returned to office, the U.S. and the EU maintained generally low tariff levels in what is the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with some 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in annual trade. Together the U.S. and the EU have 44% of the global economy. The U.S. rate averaged 1.47% for European goods, while the EU's averaged 1.35% for American products, according to the Bruegel think tank in Brussels. Trump has complained about the EU's 198 billion-euro trade surplus in goods, which shows Americans buy more from European businesses than the other way around, and has said the European market is not open enough for U.S.-made cars. However, American companies fill some of the trade gap by outselling the EU when it comes to services such as cloud computing, travel bookings, and legal and financial services. And some 30% of European imports are from American-owned companies, according to the European Central Bank.
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Britain facing pension poverty 'time bomb' as Rachel Reeves' tax grab helps crater retirement savings by 20 per cent in six months
Britain is facing a pension poverty 'time bomb' after Rachel Reeves ' punishing tax grab helped plunge retirement savings by 20 per cent in six months. Survey figures suggest Britons may have been reducing their pension contributions since Christmas as the economy reacted to Labour's new tax regime. The Chancellor's national insurance hike has been partly blamed for high inflation this year, raising the cost of goods and services. Critics said last night the increased cost of living is 'squeezing' households and preventing people from putting money away for their retirement. As a result, the average monthly pension contribution has slumped to £53.40 this month from £59.10 in April and £65.10 in December. This is the first time in two years contributions have dropped for six months in a row, according to data from the House Money Index compiled by price comparison website MoneySuperMarket. At the same time, average household spending on bills and other outgoings surged by 12 per cent to £1,564 per month. The data showed the average Brit is now shelling out £52.14 per day on essentials, up from £46.40 in December. Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: 'People are reducing their private and workplace pension contributions, perhaps to help offset rising costs and stretched household finances.' Last night, Helen Whately MP, shadow pensions secretary, said: 'Britain is facing a pension poverty time bomb of Labour's making. 'By squeezing the public with more taxes and higher bills, people are being forced to make terrible choices – choices we won't see the full consequence of for years. 'The Conservatives will always stand on the side of the makers – those who work hard, do the right thing, and want to get on in life. 'And so we will hold Labour to account for the economic mess they are making.' John O'Connell, chief executive at the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'Sky-high taxes and soaring living costs mean hard-pressed households are dipping into their retirement savings just to stay afloat.' This month, the Office for National Statistics said UK inflation jumped higher than economists had expected to 3.6 per cent in June, up from 3.4 per cent in May. It marked the steepest increase since January 2024, with critics blaming Mrs Reeves' 'job tax'. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the Government was reviving New Labour's Pensions Commission to help people save more. She said: 'People deserve to know they will have a decent income in retirement – with all the security, dignity and freedom that brings. 'But the truth is, that is not the reality facing many people, especially if you're low paid, or self-employed.
Reuters
37 minutes ago
- Reuters
Breakingviews - EU's lopsided Trump trade deal will be short-lived
BERLIN, July 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - European Union trade negotiators may promptly celebrate the success they have achieved by clinching a deal with Donald Trump. If so, the question should be: If that passes for success, what would failure have looked like? Financial markets and European captains of industry will doubtless heave a sigh of relief at the agreement, announced on Sunday by the U.S. president and his European Commission counterpart Ursula von der Leyen. The continent's main exporters can base their investment and commercial plans on the 15% levy on U.S. imports accepted by the Commission. That's much lower than the 30% charge on European goods Trump had promised to impose on August 1 in the absence of a deal, which in turn was less than a previous 50% threat. Importantly, the rate applies to European cars, which join Japanese-made vehicles in escaping the 25% charge on U.S. auto imports, and to the continent's pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, which may have otherwise faced punitive sector-specific treatment. The deal also enables the Europeans to shelve counter-tariffs and other measures they had lined up. Some degree of uncertainty has at least been dispelled. Nevertheless, the tariff level still amounts to capitulation by Brussels. It must be compared not to Trump's threats, but to the 1.47% average, opens new tab rate previously applied to European goods crossing the Atlantic. Only two months ago, several EU governments were warning, opens new tab that a 10% across-the-board charge, similar to what the UK had obtained, would be a red line that should trigger some form of response. In addition to the added trade friction, the EU has also promised to import more energy – spending $250 billion a year on American oil and gas – and could invest some $600 billion stateside. That, at least, is Trump's interpretation of the deal. It's unclear whether these figures represent incremental amounts, or what time frame the president had in mind. Fuzzy as they are, these EU pledges at least do not look very binding. Yet the vague agreement also suggests Sunday's announcement is unlikely to be the last word. Even at the lower rate, the tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy. They will either bring much-needed revenue — a source of pride for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – or shrink imports. But they cannot achieve both at the same time. And if EU businesses do crank up investment in the U.S., the resulting capital flows will be to the detriment of the trade balance. All this means the EU's trade surplus, opens new tab with the U.S., which reached 198 billion euros in goods last year, partly offset by a 109 billion euro deficit on services, may not shrink much in the coming years. When the impulsive and unpredictable president can no longer deny the destructive impact of his tariffs, he will be tempted to yet again blame U.S. trade partners. It's puzzling that the EU, the world's largest, opens new tab trading power, has failed to grasp that the best way to fight bullying is to stand your ground. Follow Pierre Briancon on Bluesky, opens new tab and LinkedIn, opens new tab.
