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1Germany-Constitution{Adoptedon:23May1949}{ICLDocumentStatus:16July1998}{Editor'sNoteTheICL-editionwasoriginallybasedonanoldertranslationprovidedbytheembassypressandinformationoffice.ThatrawtexthasbeenextensivelychangedandadaptedtoICLformatandlanguagestandards.Allamendmentsuptoandincludingthe46thAmendmenton16July1998havebeentranslatedandincludedbyICLintothisconsolidatededition.Topreparethetextforthesearchengine,wehavetranslated'Länder'as'States','Bundestag'as'HouseofRepresentatives','Bundesrat'as'Senate','Bundesbank'as'FederalBank'.ThisdoesinnowayimplyanysimilarityofthoseinstitutionswiththerespectiveU.S.organs.TheGermantermshavebeenaddedinsquarebracketstoclarifythematter.Warning:Thereareanumberofcolorfuleditionsintheinternetwhicharebasedonoutdatedtextwithoutmentioningit.TheGermanConstitutionisbeingchangedfrequentlyandsubstantially(e.g.,Article13in1998).Therefore,knowingthedocumentstatusisofutmostimportancetolegalscholars.}PreambleConsciousoftheirresponsibilitybeforeGodandmen,animatedbythepurposetoserveworldpeaceasanequalpartinaunifiedEurope,theGermanPeoplehaveadopted,byvirtueoftheirconstituentpower,thisConstitution.TheGermansintheStates[Länder]ofBaden-Wurttemberg,Bavaria,Berlin,Brandenburg,Bremen,Hamburg,Hesse,LowerSaxony,Mecklenburg-WesternPomerania,NorthRhine-Westphalia,Rhineland-Palatinate,Saarland,Saxony,Saxony-Anhalt,Schleswig-HolsteinandThuringiahaveachievedtheunityandfreedomofGermanyinfreeself-determination.ThisConstitutionisthusvalidfortheentireGermanPeople.ChapterIBasicRightsArticle1[HumanDignity](1)Humandignityisinviolable.Torespectandprotectitisthedutyofallstateauthority.(2)TheGermanPeoplethereforeacknowledgeinviolableandinalienablehumanrightsasthebasisofeveryhumancommunity,ofpeace,andofjusticeintheworld.(3)Thefollowingbasicrightsarebindingonlegislature,executive,andjudiciaryasdirectlyenforceablelaw.Article2[Liberty](1)Everyonehastherighttofreedevelopmentofhispersonalityinsofarashedoesnotviolatetherightsofothersoroffendagainsttheconstitutionalorderoragainstmorality.(2)Everyonehastherighttolifeandtophysicalintegrity.Thefreedomofthepersonisinviolable.Intrusionontheserightsmayonlybemadepursuanttoastatute.Article3[Equality](1)Allhumansareequalbeforethelaw.(2)Menandwomenareequal.Thestatesupportstheeffectiverealizationofequalityofwomenandmenandworkstowardsabolishingpresentdisadvantages.(3)Noonemaybedisadvantagedorfavoredbecauseofhissex,hisparentage,hisrace,hislanguage,hishomelandandorigin,hisfaith,orhisreligiousorpoliticalopinions.Noonemaybedisadvantagedbecauseofhishandicap.Article4[Freedomoffaith,ofconscience,andofcreed](1)Freedomofcreed,ofconscience,andfreedomtoprofessareligiousornon-religiousfaith2areinviolable.(2)Theundisturbedpracticeofreligionisguaranteed.(3)Noonemaybecompelledagainsthisconsciencetorenderwarserviceinvolvingtheuseofarms.Detailsareregulatedbyafederalstatute.Article5[FreedomofExpression](1)Everyonehastherighttofreelyexpressanddisseminatehisopinioninspeech,writing,andpicturesandtofreelyinformhimselffromgenerallyaccessiblesources.Freedomofthepressandfreedomofreportingbymeansofbroadcastsandfilmsareguaranteed.Therewillbenocensorship.(2)Theserightsaresubjecttolimitationsintheprovisionsofgeneralstatutes,instatutoryprovisionsfortheprotectionoftheyouth,andintherighttopersonalhonor.(3)Artandscience,researchandteachingarefree.Thefreedomofteachingdoesnotreleasefromallegiancetotheconstitution.Article6[Marriageandfamily,illegitimatechildren](1)Marriageandfamilyareunderthespecialprotectionofthestate.(2)Careandupbringingofchildrenarethenaturalrightoftheparentsandprimarilytheirduty.Thestatesupervisestheexerciseofthesame.(3)Againstthewillofthepersonsentitledtotheirupbringing,childrenmayonlybeseparatedfromthefamily,pursuanttoastatute,wherethosesoentitledfailedorwhere,forotherreasons,thechildrenareendangeredtobecomeseriouslyneglected.(4)Everymotherisentitledtoprotectionbyandcareofthecommunity.(5)Illegitimatechildren,bylegislation,havetobeprovidedwiththesameconditionsfortheirphysicalandmentaldevelopmentandfortheirplaceinsocietyasarelegitimatechildren.Article7[Education](1)Theentireschoolingsystemstandsunderthesupervisionofthestate.(2)Thepersonsentitledtotheupbringingofachildhavetherighttodecidewhetherthechildshallattendreligionclasses.(3)Religionclassesformpartoftheordinarycurriculuminstateschools,exceptforsecularschools.Withoutprejudicetothestate'srightofsupervision,religiousinstructionisgiveninaccordancewiththetenetsofthereligiouscommunities.Noteachermaybeobligedagainsthiswilltogivereligiousinstruction(4)Therighttoestablishprivateschoolsisguaranteed.Privateschools,asasubstituteforstateschools,requiretheapprovalofthestateandaresubjecttothestatutesoftheStates[Länder].Suchapprovalhastobegivenwhereprivateschoolsarenotinferiortothestateschoolsintheireducationalaims,theirfacilities,andtheprofessionaltrainingoftheirteachingstaff,andwheresegregationofpupilsaccordingtothemeansoftheirparentsisnotencouraged.Approvalhastobewithheldwheretheeconomicandlegalpositionoftheteachingstaffisnotsufficientlyassured.(5)Apri