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Berlin alarm: Pregnancy counseling centers are threatened with closure!
Brandenburg's budget crisis threatens advice centers for pregnant women: there is a lack of funding and there is a threat of closure.
Berlin alarm: Pregnancy counseling centers are threatened with closure!
In Brandenburg, the advice centers for pregnant women and families are facing a serious crisis. Despite a record budget of over 34 billion euros passed over the next two years, funding for these important institutions remains inadequate. This situation could lead to massive closures, warn specialist associations such as the LIGA of Independent Welfare. According to the Young world The funding for pregnancy conflict counseling has not been increased sufficiently in recent years, although the costs for personnel and material resources are constantly increasing.
The Pregnancy Conflict Act obliges the state government to provide comprehensive, local advice for pregnant women. According to current legal requirements, one full-time counselor is required for every 40,000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, according to reports from DRK Brandenburg and Parity Brandenburg The legal requirements in several regions, such as Uckermark and Oberhavel, are not met.
Affected regions and facilities
Especially in the districts of Uckermark, Oberhavel and Havelland as well as in the independent cities of Potsdam and Cottbus, women and families can hope for severely limited or even closed advice services. According to the social associations, the DRK locations in Oranienburg, Hennigsdorf, Gransee, Strausberg and Bernau are at acute risk of closure. This endangers the advice network that has been built up over 35 years and could lead to longer waiting times and journeys for women in crisis situations.
The advice centers play an essential role in supporting pregnant women not only on abortion issues, but also in areas such as sexuality education, contraception and social support. A permanent closure could not only make access to information about reproductive rights more difficult, but also lead to the loss of important prevention measures for children and families.
A call to action
The LIGA of Independent Welfare Services is urgently calling for an increase in the budget from 5 to 6.6 million euros in order to adjust consultant remuneration and flat-rate material costs. Without these financial resources, many advice centers are on the verge of going out of business. Already in 2023, over 19,000 people seeking advice have turned to the facilities, which underlines the enormous need for these services.
Skilled workers in Brandenburg are faced with the danger of having to consider other employment opportunities because they find themselves unable to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of living. In view of these worrying developments, it is time for the Brandeburg state government to act and provide the urgently needed funds to ensure the existence of these indispensable services for women and families. Otherwise the consequences could be fatal and represent a major step backwards in women's and family counseling.