The proposed legislation aiming to legalize abortion during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy has been temporarily shelved. The Bundestag's legal committee has decided against holding a vote on the bill ahead of the upcoming elections. A special session of the committee would have been required to push the proposal forward, but there was insufficient support from the opposition parties, particularly the Union and FDP. Discussions on this contentious issue occurred throughout the day, culminating in the committee's decision. Lawmakers from the Green Party and the SPD expressed their disappointment, emphasizing that the refusal of the Union and FDP to engage in standard parliamentary processes sends a troubling message about the state of democracy in the country. They argued that without the backing of these parties, there was a risk of forming an unexpected majority with the AfD, which they were unwilling to support. The bill, which was signed by 328 members of the Bundestag in a group application last autumn, aimed to remove abortion from the criminal code, specifically targeting Paragraph 218, which currently renders abortion generally illegal in Germany. The initiative was based on a recommendation from a panel of experts that convened in April. During a three-hour hearing, various constitutional experts, medical professionals, and scholars provided their insights on the proposed legislation. The CDU's legal expert, Günter Krings, criticized the draft as incompatible with the standards established by the Federal Constitutional Court regarding abortion regulations. As it stands, abortion remains illegal in Germany, and the proposed changes will not be revisited prior to the elections, nor is it likely that they will be addressed in the new Bundestag. The ongoing debate surrounding abortion and reproductive rights in Germany continues to be a focal point of contention, reflecting broader societal divisions on the issue.