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Portrait of Else Kienle

Else Kienle

1900 – 1970

Physician

DermatologistPhysician
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About Else Kienle

Lived 1900 – 1970 (aged 70). Else Kienle was a German dermatologist and physician.

Else Kienle (1900–1970), later publishing in the United States as Else K. La Roe, was a German physician, author, and sexual-reform advocate. Her 1931 arrest alongside the physician-playwright Friedrich Wolf helped spark a nationwide mass movement for abortion law reform during the late Weimar Republic.

Life Kienle and Friedrich Wolf were arrested on 19 February 1931 for providing abortions. Their arrests led to popular demonstrations against Paragraph 218, which criminalized abortion in Germany. While the Communist Party of Germany submitted a motion for her release, it objected to her feminist beliefs and gave her considerably less support than it gave Wolf. The Nazi Party supported the imprisonment of Kienle and Wolf because they were Jewish. During her imprisonment, Kienle participated in a hunger strike that brought her near death. She was released from prison on 28 March 1931. In 1932, Kienle published the book Frauen: Aus dem Tagebuch einer Ärztin to criticize Paragraph 218. Kienle believed that it was immoral to force birth into a society that lacked gender equality and social security. Kienle fled to New York after the Nazi Party seized power in Germany.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Dermatologist, physician
Nationality
Also known as
Else La Roe, Else K. La Roe, Else LaRoe

People in Else Kienle's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Else Kienle's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Else Kienle?

physician (1900–1970)

When was Else Kienle born?

Else Kienle was born on 26 February 1900 in Heidenheim an der Brenz.

When did Else Kienle die?

Else Kienle died on 19 July 1970 in Manhattan.

What was Else Kienle's occupation?

Else Kienle was a dermatologist and physician.

What nationality was Else Kienle?

Else Kienle was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Else Kienle

· Wikidata: Q1333650

· DBpedia: Else Kienle

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Else Kienle. https://biography.guide/else-kienle/

MLA: "Else Kienle." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/else-kienle/.

Chicago: "Else Kienle." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/else-kienle/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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