German Cabinet backs compromise in abortion dispute
By Associated Press
February 6
BERLIN — Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that would loosen, but not scrap, a ban on doctors “advertising” abortions, in an attempt to bridge a divide between the country’s governing parties.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s junior governing partners, the center-left Social Democrats, wanted to remove the ban from Germany’s criminal code. It provides for a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years. But Merkel’s center-right party insisted it should stay.