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HEALTH

Germany considers legalising egg donation

A commission on reproductive rights has said the ban on egg donation should be lifted in Germany, with a draft likely to come before the next election.

Published: 16 July 2024 11:07 CEST
Fertility clinic in Mainz
The outside of a fertility clinic in Mainz. Germany is considering legalising egg donation to assist fertility treatment. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Andreas Arnold

Speaking to DPA on Tuesday, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) said he believed a proposal for legalising egg donation would enter the Bundestag next year before Germany’s next federal elections in autumn of 2025.

Donated eggs are used in fertility treatments for women who are otherwise unable to conceive.  

Though the coalition agreement between the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) did not commit to lifting the ban on egg donation specifically, the parties did say they planned to consider the issue.

“We are setting up a commission on reproductive self-determination and reproductive medicine, which will examine regulations for abortion outside of the Criminal Code as well as options for legalising egg donation and altruistic surrogacy,” the 2021 agreement stated. 

READ ALSO: Germany debates legalizing egg donations and surrogacy

In April this year, the commission issued its recommendations, stating that there were “no overriding medical or psychological risks that speak against legalisation”.

The expert panel also recommending following the example of other European countries where this type of fertility treatment was legal.

Germany is one of only four countries in central and western Europe where donating eggs is illegal.

“From my personal point of view, there are good reasons to lift the categorical ban on egg donation in Germany,” Buschmann explained.

Abortion debate

Despite the progress in fertility treatments, the FDP politician does not expect a quick agreement on the reform of the abortion paragraph 218 in the penal code, which effectively criminalises abortion. 

“Abortion raises particularly difficult constitutional issues,” Buschmann told DPA, adding that the topic was a divisive one.

“I see much more consensus on egg donation. Authorising egg donation would be compatible with the Basic Law.”

Abortion remains an illegal act in Germany, though it is exempt from punishment if it carried out in the first three months of pregnancy and after counselling.

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP)

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) gives an interview to DPA on February 3rd. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

Pro-choice activists have been campaigning for this to be overturned for years, but face stiff opposition from religious figures and conservative politicians.

After entering government back in 2021, the traffic-light coalition swiftly scrapped paragraph 219a in the Criminal Code, which banned doctors from publicly providing information on abortion.  

The expert commission has since suggested that abortions in the early stages of pregnancy should no longer be criminalised and questioned the obligation for women to undergo counselling.

READ ALSO: Will abortion in Germany soon become legal?

If a bill on egg donation comes to the Bundestag this year or next, it will likely follow the panel’s recommendations of forbidding the trade of egg cells for financial gain, as well as a regulation ensuring that children retain the right to know their parentage. 

It is also likely to follow the Bundestag’s tradition of tackling questions of legal ethics in a non-partisan way, with parliament putting forward proposals rather than the government.

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QUALITY OF LIFE

Where in Germany do people live the longest?

On the world stage, life expectancy is relatively high in Germany. But within the country there are noticeable differences between states. Here's where people are living the longest.

Published: 22 August 2024 12:51 CEST
Where in Germany do people live the longest?

In 2023, the average life expectancy in Germany was 83.3 years for women and 78.6 years for men, according to recent figures from Germany’s statistical office (Destatis).

This is up compared to previous years (2020 to 2022), when life expectancy around the world fell during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Looking a little closer, there are significant differences in life expectancies between different German states.

Which German states have the highest life expectancies?

Germany’s southern states have the highest life expectancies: Baden-Württemberg takes the top spot with an average life expectancy of 81.5 years, followed by Bavaria with 81.0 years and Hesse with 80.8 years.

Generally Germany’s southern and western states have higher life expectancies than the northern and eastern ones.

The federal states with the shortest life expectancies are Bremen with an average of 79.5 years, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at 79.8 years and Saxony-Anhalt at 79.9 years.

Interestingly lifespans in Bremen on average are notably shorter than in the surrounding state of Lower Saxony, which actually has the fifth highest life expectancy in Germany at 80.6 years.

The opposite is true in the city-state of Berlin, which has a higher life expectancy than its surrounding state of Brandenburg (80.2 years and 80 years respectively).

Germany’s most populous cities, Berlin and Hamburg (80.3), have median life expectancies among the German states.

Stuttgart city centre

People relax on the grass in Stuttgart city centre. Photo by Prerna Bhardwaj auf Unsplash

Which factors affect longevity across Germany?

Arguably more important than knowing which German states have longer life expectancies than others, is understanding why that is.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in most German states, and tends to be related to weight, along with diet and blood pressure. 

Spacegarden, a German company that focuses on longevity and sells dietary supplements, looked at body mass index (BMI) data across the federal states to see how it related to life expectancies.

The correlation here is pretty clear: states that have a lower average BMI (meaning a lower proportion of overweight people) tended to have higher life expectancies. 

Baden-Württemberg, which has the highest life expectancy, also has the lowest proportion of people with BMIs considered overweight, at 53.4 percent. Bremen, which has the lowest life expectancy, has the highest proportion of people with BMIs above the “normal” range, at 57 percent.

Another factor to consider is wealth. Generally people with mid-to-high incomes might be expected to live longer than those living with less, and this does seem to hold true in many cases in Germany.

Excluding city-states, the federal states with highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria – are also the states with the best life expectancies.

This also seems to explain the difference in life expectancies between eastern and western states, as Germany’s eastern states have the lowest GDPs.

READ ALSO: How does Germany’s ‘phantom border’ still divide the country?

The states with the lowest GDP are also those with the lowest life expectancy – Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. 

However there are a couple of notable exceptions to this trend. Namely the city states of Bremen and Hamburg.

Despite having Germany’s lowest life expectancy, Bremen’s GDP actually matches that of Baden-Württemberg. Hamburg has the country’s highest GDP by far, but has the median life expectancy. 

Other factors that may affect life expectancy in a region include the number of doctors or hospitals per capita, or the share of the population that is over 65 years old.

Generally the best things an individual can do to promote longevity include eating a balanced diet that is largely plant-based with minimal consumption of sugars and processed foods, minimising tobacco and alcohol consumption, doing regular exercise and maintaining friend and family groups.

The traditional German diet, which includes a lot of meats and fats, has contributed to the country’s high rates of cardiovascular disease, but this tend seems to be changing among Germany’s younger generation which is opting increasingly for a more plant-based diet.

READ ALSO: ‘People are eating less meat’ – How Germany is embracing vegan food

Life expectancy around the world

Life expectancy is comparatively high across Germany compared to the rest of the world.

Compared to its neighbours to the south and west, however, it comes in a little short.

According to UN data, Germany’s average life expectancy for all genders is 82.34 years, as opposed to 83.49 in France or 84.52 in Switzerland. Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands also beat Germany by a little in this statistic.

But Germany is just slightly ahead of Denmark (82.18), and is well ahead of Poland (78.76) and the Czech Republic (79.96).

Switzerland and Italy have the highest life expectancies in Europe and both rank among the top 10 in the world.

The countries with the lowest life expectancies tend to be in Africa, and often struggle with disease and hunger.

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