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On 16 December 1977, the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act received assent. Its main purpose was to grudgingly permit abortions, but only in some circumstances. Forty years on, abortion remains a crime in New Zealand.
The effect of this outdated law is that people wanting to end their pregnancies must get two doctors to sign off on their choice, and say that continuing their pregnancy would cause ‘serious danger to [their] physical or mental health’.This means they often have to lie about their mental health to get the health care they need. Ninety eight percent of abortions are ‘allowed’ on the mental health grounds.
We believe it’s time for a change. The decision to have an abortion should stay between the person and their GP. The Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act must be reformed.
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