Pro-lifers march to promote their view
Several pro-life organisations have joined forces to ensure their voices are heard when it comes to the hot-button topic of abortion.
Organised by five groups, the March for Life – touted as a counter-protest to a similar prochoice event earlier in the week – drew a large crowd to Wellington’s Te Nga¯ kau Civic Square on Saturday.
The several-hundred-strong crowd then marched through the central city to the grounds of Parliament to listen to speeches by family advocates and National Party MPs, including Simon O’Connor and Alfred Ngaro.
The march comes on the back of the Labour-led Government’s proposal to make abortion a health issue rather than a criminal one, as well as a Law Commission report on the topic released in October.
Family Life International NZ’s spokesperson, Michelle Kaufman, said it was that ‘‘health issue’’ idea that sparked the protest.
‘‘Abortion is not healthcare ... Healthcare is about providing for the medical needs of patients.
‘‘It does not end the life of one for the convenience of the other,’’ she said. ‘‘Today we march in defence of the right to life and proper health care for pre-born children and their mothers.’’
The Crimes Act 1961 determines the grounds for an abortion as being: a pregnancy under 20 weeks: that can be a serious danger to life; any form of incest or sexual relations with a guardian; mental subnormality; and foetal abnormality. Extremes of age and sexual violation can also be taken into account but are not grounds in themselves.
After 20 weeks’ gestation, the grounds are different.
Abortions can be performed only to save the life of the mother or to prevent serious permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the mother.
For terminations under eight weeks, women can be given pills and have the abortion at home.
Over eight weeks, abortion is a surgical procedure.
In total, 13,285 induced abortions were performed in 2017, an increase of 462 on 2016.