Abortion worries

Abortion providers and advocates are concerned about the number of later-stage abortions.

A major symposium on abortion in Wellington has revealed that more than two-thirds of terminations in New Zealand are carried out on women who are more than 10 weeks pregnant - about twice the rate of comparable countries.

In Britain, Europe and the United States, 30 per cent of abortions are performed on women eight weeks pregnant or less, but in New Zealand the figure is just 8 per cent.

The meeting of the New Zealand Abortion Providers was held for the first time in five years amid tight security in Wellington at the end of last month.

Wellington doctor Carol Shand said yesterday delays were caused by abortion laws, which required women to go through a complex series of steps including numerous medical referrals before they could get an abortion.

Staffing shortages in abortion clinics also caused delays, she told National Radio.

- NZPA