Medical Officer Faces Lawsuit over Enacted Abortion Restriction
In Germany, a chief physician's right to perform medically indicated abortions in a Catholic-operated hospital is legally restricted, as shown in the case of Dr. Joachim Volz at the Catholic Klinikum Lippstadt-Christian Hospital.
Dr. Volz, the chief physician of the Lippstadt Clinic, has expressed concerns that the merger of the Catholic-led clinic could lead to the removal of certain services, including abortions. His worries were confirmed in August 2025 when a ruling upheld the ban on abortions by Dr. Volz at the Catholic hospital. This ban also applies to abortions performed in his private practice.
The ban reflects the balance between German statutory abortion law and the autonomy of Catholic institutions under church law and labor agreements. Hospital operators may impose restrictions consistent with their religious doctrine, as indicated by the Hamm Labour Court ruling. This ruling suggests that legal protection for medically necessary abortions may be overridden within Catholic hospitals unless the mother’s life or severe danger to her health is at stake.
Joachim Volz believes that the Catholic operator's ban ignores the medical judgment, the will of the patient, and the law, which permits such interventions in certain cases. He has filed a lawsuit against the clinic's service directive, but the lawsuit was dismissed by the labor court in Hamm.
The legal dispute over the ban on medically indicated abortions at the Lippstadt Clinic is expected to continue. Dr. Volz expressed his conviction that "reason and humanity will prevail" in the legal dispute.
The ban on medically indicated abortions at the Lippstadt Clinic, operated by a Catholic organization, has been in place since February 2025. An abortion within the first 12 weeks after counseling is not punishable under the Criminal Code, and a medically indicated abortion - in cases of severe fetal malformations, after rape, and when there is a danger to the life, physical or mental health of the pregnant woman - is permitted. However, these exceptions must be documented and reported to the management.
The controversy has sparked protests, with approximately 2,000 people demanding "Church, let the women go free" during a march in August 2025. Politicians from federal and state levels of NRW, including the co-faction leader of the Greens, Britta Haßelmann, attended the protest.
Joachim Volz has not considered resignation, regarding his role as a doctor as a "dictate of humanity." He started a petition titled "I am a doctor - my help is not a sin!" which has been signed by over 232,000 people. The organizer of the protest, Sarah Gonschorek (Greens), felt the ban on medically indicated abortions was a great injustice towards affected women.
The court decision states that the employer is entitled to make provisions within the scope of its right of directive. However, the legal representative of Joachim Volz, Till Müller-Heidelberg, argues that a clinic management can issue service directives, but these do not include the medical area - i.e., diagnostics and therapy.
The debate over abortion legalization and restrictions continues in Germany, with some opposition from religiously affiliated groups. Christian rights organizations actively defend such restrictions as part of their religious freedom and human rights framework.
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- In the realm of politics and general news, the legal restrictions on a chief physician's right to perform medically indicated abortions in a Catholic-operated hospital, like the one experienced by Dr. Joachim Volz at the Catholic Klinikum Lippstadt-Christian Hospital, remain a contentious issue. [1]
- The health-and-wellness sector, particularly sexual and mental health, is affected by the ongoing debate, as many advocates argue that such restrictions unfairly impact women's health, ignoring the medical judgment and the law in certain cases. [2]
- Men's health and women's health can be influenced by policies concerning reproductive rights, as demonstrated by the legal dispute over medically indicated abortions at Lippstadt Clinic, which has been supported by a petition titled "I am a doctor - my help is not a sin!" signed by over 232,000 people. [2]
- Crime-and-justice is involved when considering the consequences of these restrictions, as protests demanding "Church, let the women go free" have occurred, attended by politicians such as Britta Haßelmann, the co-faction leader of the Greens. [3]
- The balancing act between German statutory abortion law and the autonomy of Catholic institutions under church law and labor agreements continues to shape the landscape of these discussions, with Christian rights organizations defending such restrictions as part of their religious freedom and human rights framework. [4]
