The STOP Guidelines were created by the Federal Ministry of Health to help doctors safely manage pregnancies that put a woman’s life at risk. They explain when and how a pregnancy can be safely ended legally, for example, in situations like severe hypertension, cancers, heart disease, kidney failure, or pregnancies that cannot survive outside the womb.
The STOP Guidelines were a clear rulebook for doctors, so they didn’t have to guess. They were designed to save women from dying when pregnancy becomes dangerous.
Even though these guidelines were approved by the Ministry of Health, they were later suspended by the government for further review. This means doctors now have fewer tools and less clarity on how to save a woman’s life when pregnancy becomes medically unsafe. Women are left more vulnerable, and health workers are left more confused.
When we talk about reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, we are talking about the right to live, the right to safety, and the right to make decisions about one’s own health without fear.
Supporting safe abortion and clear medical guidelines is about ensuring that no person dies because they were denied care.
