"Stop the Catholic ban on abortion!" - Chief physician loses in court, but isn't thinking of quitting

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Church wins - doctor announces long battle

The Hamm Labor Court has handed down a ruling that is likely to make waves - far beyond NRW. Head physician Joachim Volz, 67 years old, a gynecologist with decades of experience, did not want to be told what is and is not possible in his practice. Especially not when it comes to women's lives and self-determination. His opponent: the Catholic sponsor of his hospital.

He has lost. At least today. "The last sentence has not yet been spoken," says Volz immediately after the decision. The next instance? Quite likely.

About a merger that changed everything

Volz used to work at the Protestant hospital in Lippstadt. When necessary - for example in cases of severe fetal malformations or when the mother's life was at stake - he and his team performed abortions. No topic, no debates.

Then came the merger: the hospital became part of a Catholic hospital group. A clear ban has been in place there since February 2025. The only exception: acute danger to the pregnant woman's life. A slap in the face for Volz. Even worse: the directive even interferes with his work 50 kilometers away, in his private practice in Bielefeld.

He tells of cases in which he was not allowed to help even the most severe malformations - such as a fetus without a skullcap. "That is against my medical conscience, against all humanity."

Entrepreneurial freedom vs. medical responsibility

The clinic's Managing Director Hauke Schild sees it differently: "An employer is allowed to decide what is done in his company and what is not." For him, this is entrepreneurial freedom, period.

Volz's lawyer counters: Service instructions, yes - but not in matters of diagnostics and therapy. That is the core of a doctor's work. And the law? It allows abortions in clearly regulated cases, for example in the case of massive malformations, after rape or if the life or health of the pregnant woman is at risk.

Judge Klaus Griese made it clear: there are no total bans in the clinic - abortions are possible in very narrow exceptional cases. Sounds like a compromise, but for Volz it feels like a gag.

Protest on the streets - tailwind from the web

While negotiations were taking place inside, around 2000 people took to the streets outside. Banners with slogans such as "Heaven hell hypocrisy!" or "Church, set the women free" flew in front of the clinic. The demo organizer, Sarah Gonschorek (Green Party), spoke of a "huge injustice". And the protest is also raging digitally: Over 231,000 people have now signed Volz's petition "I am a doctor - my help is not a sin!".

For Volz, one thing is clear: he is staying. A resignation? Not an option. "My help is an imperative of humanity." If it doesn't work out today, then tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a few years' time. His message: giving up is not an option.

The ruling is a warning signal

If employers - whether Catholic, Protestant or secular - can determine which treatments are generally taboo, then the boundaries between religious conviction and medical standards become blurred. The result? Patients' rights become a bargaining chip. We say: medicine belongs in the consulting room, not in church law. And certainly not on the desk of a clinic manager.

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