Medical Chief faces lawsuit over enforced abortion prohibition
In August 2025, the Hamm Labour Court upheld the ban on medically indicated abortions at the Lippstadt Clinic, a Catholic-sponsored hospital. The ban, which was imposed following a merger with a Catholic healthcare provider, restricts Chief Physician Joachim Volz from performing such procedures, except in life-threatening cases for the pregnant woman [1][2].
Volz, who previously performed medically indicated abortions for 13 years at the Protestant Hospital in Lippstadt, finds the ban conflicting with his medical duties and restrictive of legal healthcare options. The court's ruling states that the clinic, as an employer, is entitled to enforce these restrictions within its hospital regulations. The ban also extends to Volz’s private practice in Bielefeld [1][2][3].
Despite the court's decision, Volz has announced his intention to appeal. He argues that the ban infringes upon his medical judgment, the will of the patient, and the law that permits such interventions in certain cases [1]. His cause has gained significant public attention, with approximately 2,000 protesters demonstrating against the abortion ban, and over 230,000 people signing a petition in support of Volz [2].
Placards at the demo read "Heaven Hell Hypocrisy! Church, let the women go free" or "Help and self-determination instead of punishment." The organiser of the demo, Sarah Gonschorek from the Greens, feels the ban is a great injustice towards the affected women.
Volz has launched a petition titled "I am a doctor - my help is not a sin!" which has so far been signed by over 232,000 people. The managing director of the clinic, Hauke Schild, argues that an employer has the freedom to determine what is done and what is not done in the company. Meanwhile, the legal representative of the plaintiff, Till Müller-Heidelberg, argues that a clinic management cannot issue service instructions in the medical area [1].
Volz sees the dispute over the Lippstadt Clinic as not an isolated case and fears that Catholic providers involved in politically driven clinic mergers may no longer structurally offer such services. He believes that the Catholic sponsor's ban ignores the medical judgment, the will of the patient, and the law that permits such interventions in certain cases [1].
[1] https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article219493096/Abortus-Verbot-in-Lippstadt-Arzt-Joachim-Volz-will-Rechtsbeschwerde-einreichen.html [2] https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/abortion-streit-in-lippstadt-arzt-joachim-volz-will-rechtsbeschwerde-einreichen/27363762.html [3] https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Lippstadt-Arzt-Joachim-Volz-will-Rechtsbeschwerde-einreichen-article22917508.html
- The court ruling, which supports the ban on medically indicated abortions at the Lippstadt Clinic, questions the principle of mental health, as it infringes upon the medical judgment of Chief Physician Joachim Volz.
- In a time when health-and-wellness is paramount, the ban on certain medical procedures like abortions in the Lippstadt Clinic under the pretense of religious beliefs raises concerns about the accessibility of sexual-health services for both men's-health and women's-health.
- The growing movement against the abortion ban in Lippstadt highlights the intersection of politics and general-news, as thousands of protesters rally for legal healthcare options.
- The ongoing dispute between Volz and the clinic management echoes a larger issue in the science community, as the Catholic sponsor's ban may compromise the integrity of evidence-based practices in favor of ideological beliefs.
