Radical U.S. anti-abortion activists are meeting in Berlin

We translated and document the press release by the What The Fuck-Alliance Berlin related to this years 'March for Life' in Berlin and the connection between German and US-american, MAGA-aligned Christian fundamentalists and anti-abortion-activists:

MAGA-aligned organization ‘Heartbeat’ networks with Christian fundamentalists from Germany

From September 17 to 19, 2026, Heartbeat International will hold its first “European Pregnancy Help Leaders Summit” in Berlin—in parallel with the so-called “March for Life.” Heartbeat International is a U.S.-based, globally active anti-abortion organization within the Christian fundamentalist spectrum that is aligned with the MAGA movement and operates the world’s largest network of so-called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). These are centers that purportedly counsel people who are unsure whether or not they want to carry a pregnancy to term. However, research shows that the counseling is aimed at discouraging abortions and is not, in fact, non-judgmental. Among other things, openDemocracy reported in 2020 that many of the affiliated centers spread false or misleading information, such as the claim that abortions cause mental illness or cancer.

“Heartbeat International exploits the extreme crisis or stress situations faced by people who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. Under the guise of neutral counseling, these Christian fundamentalists manipulate people and deliberately spread health-threatening disinformation to dissuade them from having an abortion. Heartbeat International poses a danger to people facing unplanned pregnancies!

The fact that the German anti-abortion movement is hosting Heartbeat International’s international conference now openly reveals this movement’s close ties to the fascist and anti-feminist MAGA milieu in the U.S. The conference provides a platform for a deeply dangerous ideology and openly opposes the principle of bodily autonomy. We will not let this go unchallenged! “For many years, our coalition has been organizing protests against the anti-abortion rally under the slogan ‘March for Life – What the fuck?!’ This year, too, a counter-rally will take place on September 19 at Washingtonplatz,”

said Ella Nowak, press spokesperson for the What-the-fuck Coalition."

Background

The U.S. state of California is currently pursuing a lawsuit against Heartbeat International due to these activities. The case also involves the organization’s “Abortion Pill Rescue Network”—a 24/7 hotline designed to reach women with unintended pregnancies who have already begun a medical abortion, with the goal of reversing it. To this end, Heartbeat International promotes the so-called “Abortion Pill Reversal” method, which claims that the effects of medications intended to terminate a pregnancy can be reversed by administering progesterone and that this is safe for those affected. The only study that actually investigated the purported effectiveness of this method had to be terminated prematurely after participants developed extremely heavy bleeding and had to be taken to the hospital. The organization does not provide evidence-based, unbiased information about existing options. In doing so, it knowingly puts the safety and health of these individuals at risk.

Every year in September, the so-called “March for Life” takes place in Berlin-Mitte. At this march, Christian fundamentalists, ultra-conservative church representatives, and far-right extremists gather to demonstrate together against the right to abortion. Their demand: an absolute ban on abortion—that is, the forced continuation of a pregnancy, even if the individuals involved do not want it.

Further information

What is Heartbeat International: https://pro-lies.org/heartbeat-international/

openDemocracy investigation into Heartbeat International’s ties to the Trump administration (2020)

Event announcement

Religious. Anti-feminist. Far-right.

Christian fundamentalism and the far right in the U.S. and Germany

A panel discussion organized by the “What the Fuck?!” Alliance Berlin with Lina Dahm and Annika Brockschmidt.

🗓️ September 8 | Doors open: 7:00 p.m. | Start: 7:30 p.m.

📍 SO36, Oranienstraße 196, 10999 Berlin

Redaction: Ulli Jentsch