Mannheim (dpa / lsw) - The requirements of the city of Pforzheim for a meeting of abortion opponents in front of a pregnancy conflict advice center were illegal according to a ruling by the Administrative Court (VGH). The top administrative judges thus received a judgment by the administrative court in Karlsruhe from May last year. The defendant city of Pforzheim had issued an order according to which the meeting in 2019 could only be held outside of direct view of the building entrance during the Pro Familia consultation hours. At that time, the abortion opponents planned a silent prayer and vigil for 40 consecutive days. A woman who wanted to hold the meeting complained.
According to the judgment published in Mannheim on Wednesday, the city could have imposed a condition if the meeting had directly endangered public safety. This is not the case here.
It is true that the general personal rights of women who visit a pregnancy conflict counseling center could be affected by a gathering of abortion opponents. However, according to the VGH, not every encroachment on the general personality rights of pregnant women leads to a violation of the same. Rather, as cited by the plaintiff, fundamental rights - here freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of religion - could justify interference.
The appeal was denied. A complaint can be lodged with the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig against their non-admission within one month of the delivery of the judgement.
