Prime Minister's Ignorance on Abortion Law Shows Need for Reform

The Prime Minister's support for New Zealand's outdated abortion laws is deeply disappointing and shows how badly reform is needed, ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa says.

Bill English and Labour leader Andrew Little showed how vast the gulf between National and Labour is on abortion law reform in interviews given today.

Mr English believes abortion laws had “stood the test of time” and he confirmed he is comfortable obstructing any change to the 40-year old legal regime.

The current law frames abortion as a crime and forces pregnant people to lie that their mental or physical health is at risk if they want to end their pregnancy.

“Mr English either supports forcing people to carry pregnancies they do not want, or he wants them to go through a degrading, complicated, and expensive process," ALRANZ President Terry Bellamak said.

"That strikes us as a strange position for a former Finance Minister.”

Meanwhile, Mr Little says abortion laws in New Zealand need to be reviewed and upgraded.

Recent polling by Curia Research, commissioned by ALRANZ, shows a majority of New Zealanders support the right to access legal abortion if the pregnant person wants one.

"Our research shows Mr English's extreme stance does not reflect most Kiwis' views," Ms Bellamak says.

"ALRANZ calls upon all political parties in New Zealand to commit to supporting a Law Commission review of our laws around abortion with a view to law reform."

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