On June 24, 2022, the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, in Germany a Nazi-era law that had criminalized doctors who provided information about abortions was struck down. Although abortion in Germany remains technically illegal, medical providers and people who seek abortions face no penalties for the procedure, provided it falls within certain guidelines.

Abortion rights may dominate the global conversation around reproductive rights, but it’s one of many human rights issues at the intersections of gender, race, and class. Reproductive justice is defined as a framework that supports people of all genders to decide whether to have children or not, to determine their own personal bodily autonomy, and to raise families in safe, equitable communities. In this event, we’ll hear how Germany and the U.S. compare on reproductive justice issues, including abortion access, paid parental leave, sexual and reproductive healthcare and education, protecting the rights of incarcerated and detained parents, and freedom from forced or coerced sterilization.

Panelists

• Waltraud Maierhofer, Ph.D., Professor of Global Health Studies and German, University of Iowa
• Tamar Manasseh, Activist, Founder, We Are Jane and Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings (MASK)
• Mary Anne Case, Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School

This event is presented by Goethe-Institut Chicago.

learn more