A group of German lawmakers, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has proposed legislation to legalize abortions during the first three months of pregnancy - provoking outrage from his main conservative challenger Friedrich Merz.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is determined to use his last weeks in office with a minority government to pass what he believes are vital laws. Scholz's words were aimed mostly at the center-right opposition bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party,

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that he will ask for a vote of confidence on Dec. 16, paving the way forward for an early parliamentary election in February.