East Germany Rulez

In post-unification Germany, lingering conflicts between East and West Germans have found some unusual outlets, including a debate of the relative superiority of East and West German ‘Ampelmännchen’ pedestrian traffic signs. In our study, we probed the visual efficacy of East and West German Ampelmännchen signs with a Stroop-like conflict task. They found that the distinctive East German man-with-hat figures were more resistant to conflicting information, and in turn produced greater interference when used as distractors. These findings demonstrate Stroop-like effects for real-life objects, such as traffic signs, and underline the practical utility of an East German icon.

Peschke C, Olk B, Hilgetag CC (2013)

Should I Stay or Should I Go – Cognitive Conflict in Multi-Attribute Signals Probed with East and West German ‘Ampelmännchen’ Traffic Signs

PLoS ONE 8(5): e64712. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064712

German church supports contraception

In Germany there was a public uproar about a woman who after having been raped, was refused treatment and in particular emergency contraception in 2 catholic hospitals in Cologne. Catholic hospitals in Germany receive financial contributions from the State... The doctors were afraid to loose their job if they gave the pill, because some time ago (gestapo style) undercover anti-abortion women had asked for it at catholic hospitals and then denounced the hospitals and doctors to church hierarchy, which then ordered catholic hospitals not to offer emergency contraception.

After this new case got public, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne (on the right), issued a statement, after consultation with unspecified experts, that "in the light of new scientific evidence" (mainly the study of Kristina Gemzell et al.) the emergency pill did not have an abortifacient effect. Therefore, if the "morning after pill is used with the intention of preventing fertilization, this is in my opinion justifiable," he said. A morning after pill, which would prevent the implantation of fertilized eggs, however, was unacceptable. "It belongs to the nature of new knowledge, that it is often controversial. The Church can only explain the moral principles. The individual doctor in a Catholic institution must then conscientiously weigh his own scientific judgment, whether a drug is preventing fertilization or nidation and so come to a responsible decision."This statement was immediately attacked by anti-abortion organizations and doctors who disagree with the claim, that the morning after pill has no anti-nidation effect.

Now in 2 German States, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the governments have reached an agreement with representatives of the catholic church, that in all relevant hospitals under its ownership, women who have been raped can obtain the pill, and that doctors can freely decide to treat patients.
A petition launched by the family planning organisation Pro Familia, has been tabled with the federal government with more than 50'000 signatures, asking for an obligation for all hospitals in Germany to offer emergency contraception.

The German Bishops' Conference is expected to issue a statement on the matter this week.

source: Anne-Marie Rey
Abortion-information (formerly USPDA)
Grabenstr. 21 3052 Zollikofen / Switzerland
++41 (0)31 911 57 94

marriage discriminate west and east

Andreas Klarner, University of Rostock

Germany, with its differences between east and west, is a special case regarding the diffusion of more diverse, non-traditional family patterns and different underlying motives and social norms. During socialist times until 1989 non-marital childbearing was socially more accepted in the GDR than in the western, capitalist FRG, and non-marital childbearing was more widespread in the GDR than in the FRG. Even today there are still significant and persisting differences, e.g., couples in eastern Germany are less likely to be married than in western Germany when the first child is born, and they are more likely to remain unmarried after family formation. In order to address different social norms about non-traditional family arrangements we use qualitative focus group discussions. We conducted sixteen focus groups with male and female respondents from different social strata in eastern and western Germany in 2012. Each focus group lasted ca. 90 minutes and respondents discussed issues such as the meaning of marriage, stigmatization of non-marital childbirths etc. In this talk I will present results from these focus groups, which will give insights to general social norms about marriage, non-marital childbearing, and cohabitation.

Source