Elisabeth Scharfenberg, German opposition spokeswoman on care policy, faced backlash after suggesting that authorities could finance sexual assistance for patients requiring nursing care.  She said that doctors can issue free sex-on-prescription to their patients.

Patients Who Are Not Capable Of Paying A Sex Worker Can Show Proof Of Medical Need

Prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2002 and brothels currently operate across the country.  Scharfenberg told newspaper Welt am Sonntag that she could imagine authorities financing sexual assistance."  The newspaper said that Scharfenberg's suggestion has its roots in a system based in the Netherlands, where applicants who are not capable of paying for a sex worker can just show proof of medical need. 

This means that patients would need to get a doctor's approval before filling a sex prescription, Fox News said.  This would confirm that they are indeed unable to to achieve sexual satisfaction in other ways and unable to pay sex workers on their own.  Local officials could provide information about "offers of this kind in the area," as well as grant the necessary funds, Scharfenberg added.

Prostitutes Are Already Offering A Wide Range Of Services To Nursing Home Patients

Nursing home workers confirm that prostitutes already offer a wide range of services to patients.  The services vary from "affectionate touching" to sexual intercourse.  However, there is no legal framework to claim those expenses as medical care in Germany.  Vanessa del Rae, a sexual advisor for nursing homes, told the Welt am Sonntag that these prostitutes are a "blessing" for those in need of care. 

However, some lawmakers do not agree.  Karl Lauterbach, Governing Social Democrats lawmaker said that country did not "need paid prostitution in homes for the elderly, and certainly not on prescription," Time reported.  Professor Wilhelm Frieling-Sonnenberg, who specializes in researching medical care, said that the idea is "contemptuous towards human dignity."