Between Stigmatization and Solidarity: Anti-Choice Harassment and Abortion Accompaniment in Germany

The right to and access to abortion is a central issue in the political fight for reproductive justice and a long-standing core demand of feminist movements. While actors who identify as feminists advocate for the right to abortion, actors who call themselves“pro-life” stand in front of clinics and counseling centers, harassing people who try to enter. So-called “sidewalk harassment” is a form of action used by anti-abortion activists oft he self-proclaimed ‚pro-life‘ movement, which can be defined as an antifeminist network project (Lang & Peters 2018). The ELSA study (2024) on experiences and life situations of women with unwanted pregnancies in Germany examines sidewalk harassment as a form of public stigmatization and shows that 12.8% of the providers have experienced demonstrations or sidewalk harassment in front of their facilities. This article is based on a qualitative research project on actors in the political fight for abortion rights from an intersectional perspective. Following a disursive analysis of “sidewalk harassment” in Germany and field observations, this contribution aims to analyze the actual effects of such forms of anti-choice harassment and its actors on the abortion care situation and resistance to it. Therefore, qualitative interviews with counselors at pregnancy counseling centers and doctors who perform abortions are conducted. In addition, interviews are conducted with so-called “abortion buddies“, activists who accompany people having abortions, in order to understand their self-image and role in the care situation, in contact with doctors, and in the context of anti-choice harassment. The presentation will introduce the methodological study design and provide insights into the material. Based on research on “abortion acompañantes” originating in Latin American feminist movements (Jacobson et al. 2025; Veldhuis et al. 2025), the role and significance of “abortion buddies” in Germany will be discussed from an intersectional perspective against the backdrop of a state mandate to provide care and a precarious care situation. The presentation will discuss abortion accompaniment in the context of reproductive justice (Ross & Solinger 2017) as a form of practical solidarity against anti-choice harassment in times of growing anti-feminist attacks against the backdrop of debates on legalization and barriers to care.