New Zealand activists push for reform of ‘cruel’ abortion laws
Advocacy group files discrimination complaint alleging that legal framework on terminations breaches human rights
An abortion advocacy group in New Zealand has laid a discrimination complaint alleging New Zealand’s strict abortion laws breach the human rights of pregnant people, and subject them to “ritual humiliation”.
As experts prepare to hand down a major review into the country’s controversial abortion laws later this month, ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa has teamed up with five women who have experienced difficulties and emotional pain in accessing abortions in bringing their complaint to the country’s human rights commission.
Under New Zealand law, abortion is a crime and legal only in cases of incest, “mental subnormality” or fetal abnormality, or where the physical or mental health of the mother would be seriously affected by having a child. Other factors that may be taken into consideration but are not grounds in themselves include “sexual violation” and “extremes of age”.
The joint complaint alleges that pregnant women suffer “demonstrably worse treatment than other people seeking health care” when accessing abortions, and experience “hurt feelings, loss of dignity, and cruel, degrading, and disproportionately severe treatment”.
Terry Bellamak, national president of ALRANZ is awaiting the findings of a Law Commission review of the laws.
Bellamak said if the review’s recommendations for reform did not go far enough her team would consider taking their complaint to the United Nations.
