This article examines the debate in Germany on Article 219a of the criminal law, which prohibits doctors from advertising for abortions. This ban prevents advertising for abortions on the grounds that it would be offensive, while defining ‘advertising’ so broadly that it prevents doctors from publicly providing any information about abortions. The article offers an overview of the law, as well as the controversy following the conviction of General Practitioner Kristina Hänel, which led to a reform of the law. The curtailment of the provision of factual information by medical professionals is contrasted with the freedom of speech protection given to highly offensive speech acts by anti-abortion activists. The argument is made that there is a Christian perfectionism at the heart of the law on abortion in Germany that is shared by anti-abortion activists, leading to a situation that facilitates the mobilisation of anti-abortion sentiment while curtailing the freedom of speech of doctors.

本文考察了德国关于刑法第 219a 条的辩论，该条禁止医生为堕胎做广告。该禁令以具有冒犯性为由禁止为堕胎做广告，同时对“广告”的定义如此广泛，以致于阻止医生公开提供任何关于堕胎的信息。文章概述了该法律，以及全科医生 Kristina Hänel 被定罪后引发的争议，这导致了法律改革。医学专业人士对事实信息提供的限制与反堕胎活动家对极具攻击性的言论行为给予的言论自由保护形成鲜明对比。