“The previous law required a woman seeking an abortion to go through many obstacles,” he said, adding: “The changes passed by parliament will better ensure that women are counselled and treated more quickly.” Down syndrome advocacy group Saving Downs and disability advocates rejected Article 11 on the grounds that it would make it easier for disabled babies to terminate their pregnancies until birth. [61] [62] Both ALRANZ and Family Planning welcomed the proposed changes, but criticized the 20-week limit. [63] [64] [65] [66] In contrast, the conservative lobby group Family First New Zealand criticized the government`s abortion rights reform as “radical.” and anti-human rights.” [67] A “pro-freedom” group claims in an Instagram video that New Zealand has passed the world`s “most extreme” abortion laws, allowing abortions on demand until birth. Other anti-abortion groups include Family Life International,[102] Family First New Zealand,[103] the youth organization ProLife NZ,[104] Focus on the Family New Zealand. [105] Some of these anti-abortion groups had international ties and were also interested in other topics such as euthanasia and in vitro fertilization. These anti-abortion groups were often well funded. [42] According to McCulloch, Right to Life had an annual income of NZ$25,000 to NZ$35,000 per year from the mid to late 2000s; in May 2009, he spent NZ$80,000 challenging the Abortion Monitoring Committee`s legal challenge. Former anti-abortion groups included Operation Rescue New Zealand, Women for Life and the Kiwi Party. In 2013, McCulloch estimated that the anti-abortion movement in New Zealand had tens of thousands of members.

[106] Several jurisdictions, including Canada, the Netherlands, and some Australian states and territories, allow abortions on demand up to 24 weeks or later, compared to 20 weeks in New Zealand. A decade later, Dylan still doesn`t feel comfortable talking about abortion. The Director General of Health must establish and maintain a list of the names and contact details of abortion service providers in New Zealand. An abortion service provider can be a single practitioner or a service that covers many employees. The list or the information contained therein will be accessible to any person who requests it. The list does not include the names and contact information of abortion service providers who tell Manatū Hauora they do not wish to include their names and contact information in the list. Manatū Hauora shares details about the people on the list with the DECIDE service. Section 38 of the Child Protection Act, 2004 allows a young woman under the age of 16 to consent to an abortion, but she must still follow the process outlined in the CS&A Act, 1977. [8] [9] [10] The legislative amendments are intended to remove barriers to accessing abortion services. In the 1970s and 1980s, the abortion rate per woman fell from 0.02 in 1971 to 0.30 in 1986. The number of single women seeking abortions, including those in common-law relationships, has also increased.

During this period, women aged 24 and under were more likely to have an abortion than older women. While European New Zealanders were more likely to have an abortion at a younger age to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, Maori and Pacific New Zealanders were more likely to have abortions because they did not have access to contraception. [20] The main lobby for abortion rights is the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand (ALRANZ), which advocates for the complete decriminalization of abortion in New Zealand. [91] [92] In the 1990s and early 2000s, ALRANZ experienced a sharp decline in membership, with ALRANZ`s branches in Christchurch and Hawke`s Bay closing in 1996 and 2004 respectively. By 2011, ALRANZ`s membership had dropped to about 235. Contemporary abortion rights activism has focused on defending the status quo against abortion opponents and advocating for the legalization of mifepristone for use in medical abortions. [93] Historical pressure groups for abortion rights include the more radical Women`s National Abortion Action Campaign (WONAAC), the Auckland Anti-Hospitals Amendment Bill Committee, the May Abortion Action Committee, and the National Organisation for Women (NOW). [16] [94] [95] This means that abortion services can be provided closer to home, including in primary care and by telemedicine. For the claim that a doctor does not need to be involved in performing an abortion, Professor Henaghan says this is also misleading. Regardless of the period of pregnancy, an abortion must be performed by a qualified doctor.

The lengthy process can also have health effects. Abortion earlier in pregnancy is faster, cheaper and generally less stressful for the woman. Before 12 weeks, women can take pills to induce an abortion, but after that, they are limited to a surgical abortion. Some professional associations have also taken a stand on abortion rights.