Chancellor Angela Merkel had effortlessly answered questions about immigration and refugees, tensions with President Erdogan of Turkey and even the soaring price of butter in the Fatherland.
But Natalie Dedreux, 18, got to the woman seeking a fourth term in power when she said: “Frau Merkel, you are a politician, you make laws. Nine out of ten babies with Down’s Syndrome are not born in Germany. They’re going to be aborted. A baby with Down’s Syndrome may be aborted until just a few days before birth. This is known as ‘late removal.'”
Natalie, from Cologne, went on: “My colleagues and I ask you, Frau Merkel, where do you stand on the subject of late removal? Why is it allowed to abort babies with Down’s Syndrome until just before birth? I don’t think it’s good politically. This topic is important to me. I do not want to be aborted, but to remain in the world.”
There was loud applause from the audience in the northern city of Lübeck where the Vote Debate was taking place.
Most media observers concurred that the chancellor was “visibly agitated” before responding in a personal context: “I grew up in the German Democratic Republic in a place where mentally handicapped children were.
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“There was no support at all, there was nothing. And this is one of the great advantages of German unity, that today you can see what you could do with support.”
She then pointed out that in the past her CDU party had introduced mandatory advice on late abortions. “It was incredibly hard to get a majority,” she said, saying many parents would be very afraid of a handicapped child and would not experience the kind of support that was available today for them.
Mrs Merkel left her plexiglass desk at the debate for the first time in the Monday evening Q&A session to walk towards Natalie.
“There is so much in each person’s abilities and possibilities. Say something like that again and again,” said Mrs Merkel to the young woman and asked about the Cologne Caritas institution in which she works. “Maybe I’ll stop by,” she added.
It was a moment that could have triggered a sea change in support for the chancellor, but Natalie herself saved the day when she added: “I am an extreme fan of yours.”