40-year-old abortion law ‘embarrassing’

An abortion law reform advocate says New Zealand politicians should be ‘‘embarrassed’’ by how slowly they have acted on the issue compared with Ireland.

Terry Bellamak, president of Abortion Law Reform New Zealand (Alranz), was lost for words trying to express her feelings about Ireland backing change by two to one in a referendum on Friday. The vote means the Irish Government will legislate to make it relatively easy for a woman to obtain the procedure in early pregnancy.

Previously, Ireland restrictive abortion laws.

Ministers have promised to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.

That means Ireland, a Catholic conservative nation, will be more liberal than New Zealand when it comes to abortion laws.

The Coalition Government has asked New Zealand’s Law Commission to consider changes, had including removing abortion from the Crimes Act and making it a health issue.

But as it stands, termination is still a crime here except in a few scenarios.

Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Law Commission is due to report back to him by the end of this year and, providing the Government can agree on the recommendations, it is possible there could be legislation before Parliament next year.

While Bellamak says that is good news, the difference between Ireland and New Zealand is that Ireland went ‘‘straight to the people’’ while here it would be a conscience vote in Parliament.

‘‘The fact is that people tend to be a lot more progressive and the leaders tend to be a lot more conservative,’’ she said.

‘‘Politicians move slower and I hope that the politicians also see the sea change that this vote indicates has really happened.

‘‘I think it’s embarrassing, it’s embarrassing for the New Zealand Government and successive ones since 1977.

‘‘None of them have really done much to improve the situation.’’

But Right to Life, a group staunchly opposed to abortion law reform, has previously said that moves to legalise or decriminalise it would be met with ‘‘fierce opposition’’.

In response to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern calling for abortion to be taken out of the Crimes Act last year, spokesman Ken Orr said ‘‘she wrongly believes that the killing of our unborn children should not be a crime and that this killing should be a core health service’’.

He added: ‘‘The proposed legislation will encourage further exploitation, coercion and abandonment of women, disguised all in the name of choice.’’

Little said the prime minister had been ‘‘pretty clear we’re all pretty uncomfortable that the starting point for abortion in this country is a criminal act’’.

He admitted Ireland would be ahead of us on abortion law if the changes were implemented.

Bellamak is ‘‘optimistic’’ about the Law Commission recommendations for reform.

Bellamak wants New Zealand to follow countries like Canada, which has no abortion laws or regulations around abortion – ‘‘they simply trust women’’.