New Zealand – Doctor fined for illegally prescribing abortion drugs

10 July 2020

The New Zealand Health Practitioners
Disciplinary Tribunal said the doctor, whose name is suppressed, illegally
prescribed the medicines to two patients.

The move was against the requirements of the Contraception, Sterilisation and
Abortion Act. The charge was laid against "Dr E" by a Professional
Conduct Committee and the matter was heard on 29 January.

In one patient the doctor ought to have known the prescription exceeded the
recommended dose. He also prescribed it in combination with Primolut - an
inappropriate treatment for termination of pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/420927/doctor-fined-for-illegally-prescribing-abortion-drugs

10.07.2020

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Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion Act

New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal

professional misconduct

New Zealand

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New Zealand – Abortion Statistics: Year Ended December 2019

Abortion Statistics: Year Ended December 2019

Tuesday, 16 June 2020
Press Release: Statistics New Zealand

Far fewer women aged under 20 years had abortions in recent years compared with a decade ago, Stats NZ said today.

Abortions for women under 20 have been decreasing since the peak in 2007. In 2019, just under 10 percent of the 12,857 abortions were for women under 20. In 2007, it was 23 percent.

Continued: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2006/S00079/abortion-statistics-year-ended-december-2019.htm

16.06.2020

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Abortion Supervisory Committee

New Zealand abortion statistics

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Jamaica – Editorial | Whither abortion reform?

Editorial | Whither abortion reform?

Jamaica Gleaner
Monday | March 23, 2020

IT IS not clear whether Parliament’s Human Resources and Social Development Committee, which hasn’t had a sitting in recent months, has concluded its hearings on reforming the abortion law and, if it has, what it has recommended to legislators. Its chairman, Ronald Thwaites, will shed light on the matter, as well as informing the public how the committee intends to proceed.

Perchance they are not yet done deliberating, it is this newspaper’s hope that the committee will be inspired by last week’s developments on the matter in New Zealand, which finds its way in their report, and embraced by Jamaica’s legislators.

Continued: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20200323/editorial-whither-abortion-reform

23.03.2020

Human Resources and Social Development Committee

This week we brought New Zealand’s abortion laws into the 21st century

This week we brought New Zealand's abortion laws into the 21st century
Seeking an abortion was a crime until now, but new legislation has removed the stigma and given women a choice

Andrew Little
Thu 19 Mar 2020

New Zealand’s current abortion laws are more than 40 years old and were enacted when there were more MPs in Parliament named Bill than MPs who were female. This week we brought the laws into the 21st century.

Up to now, women seeking an abortion in New Zealand were committing a crime under our main criminal statute but had a defence if they followed the requirements of the abortion legislation. These requirements included the woman being referred by their doctor to two specialists who each had to certify she faces a serious danger to her life or physical or mental health. Other conditions also applied, such as whether the pregnancy was a result of incest or the woman lacked capacity to consent. For abortions after 20 weeks, conditions were more stringent.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/this-week-we-brought-new-zealands-abortion-laws-into-the-21st-century

19.03.2020

New Zealand Crimes Act

restrictive legislation

New Zealand – Parliament removes abortion from Crimes Act

Parliament removes abortion from Crimes Act

18 March 2020
Hon Andrew Little

Abortion has been removed from the Crimes Act under a new law passed by Parliament today.

“For over forty years abortion has been the only medical procedure considered a crime in New Zealand. But from now abortions will be rightly treated as a health issue,” Minister of Justice Andrew Little said.

Continued: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/parliament-removes-abortion-crimes-act

18.03.2020

Dame Margaret Sparrow

New Zealand Crimes Act

New Zealand passes landmark law to decriminalise abortion

New Zealand passes landmark law to decriminalise abortion
Campaigners hail move that will reclassify abortion as a health issue rather than a crime

Eleanor Ainge Roy
Wed 18 Mar 2020

New Zealand has passed a landmark bill to decriminalise abortion after decades of campaigning.

Andrew Little, the justice minister, said it was long overdue that the procedure would become classified as a health matter and not a criminal one.

The issue was scheduled to be put to a public referendum, but the government scrapped that option late on Wednesday.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/new-zealand-passes-landmark-law-decriminalise-abortion

18.03.2020

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ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa

Andrew Little

Family First New Zealand

New Zealand Crimes Act

Abortion no longer a crime in NZ after historic vote in Parliament

Abortion no longer a crime in NZ after historic vote in Parliament
Parliament has voted 68-51 tonight in favour to decriminalise abortion and remove it from the Crimes Act.

Anna Whyte, 1 News Politics Reporter
Wed, Mar 18

The Abortion Legislation Bill will remove the statutory test for a person who is less than 20 weeks pregnant and allow a woman to self-refer to an abortion provider.

Heated speeches were delivered by MPs for and against, during the third and final reading of the bill. It will now be signed off by the Governor-General to become law.

Continued: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/abortion-no-longer-crime-in-nz-after-historic-vote-parliament

New Zealand passes landmark law to decriminalize abortion

New Zealand passes landmark law to decriminalize abortion

By Nick Perry, The Associated Press
Wed., March 18, 2020

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Margaret Sparrow was 21 years old when she drank a concoction to induce an abortion, at a time when the procedure was both illegal and socially unacceptable in New Zealand.

Now age 84, Sparrow was delighted Wednesday when lawmakers passed a landmark bill that treats the procedure as a health issue rather than a crime.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Sparrow, a doctor who has spent her life advocating for the reproductive rights of women.

Continued: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/australia/2020/03/18/new-zealand-passes-landmark-law-to-decriminalize-abortion.html

New Zealand Eases Abortion Restrictions

New Zealand Eases Abortion Restrictions

By Richard Pérez-Peña
Published March 18, 2020

Lawmakers voted on Wednesday to liberalize New Zealand’s abortion law and allow unrestricted access during the first half of pregnancy, ending the country’s status as one of the few wealthy nations to limit the grounds for abortion during that period.

Members of Parliament also greatly loosened restrictions on abortions in the latter half of pregnancy, with language that opponents say amounts to no meaningful limitations until the moment of birth.

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/world/australia/new-zealand-abortion.html

18.03.2020

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New Zealand Crimes Act

New Zealand – Abortion reformists fuming after MPs scrap creation of ‘safe zones’ around clinics

Abortion reformists fuming after MPs scrap creation of 'safe zones' around clinics

Mar 11, 2020
Anna Bracewell-Worrall

Abortion reformists are fuming after politicians scrapped the creation of 'safe zones' outside abortion facilities because MPs were seemingly asleep at the wheel during the vote.

An element of the new abortion law would have allowed hospitals and clinics to apply for 'safe zones', where protesters couldn't interfere or interrupt patients or staff.

Continued: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/03/abortion-reformists-fuming-after-mps-scrap-creation-of-abortion-facility-safe-zones.html

11.03.2020