Justice Minister Andrew Little was blindsided this week over NZ First wanting a referendum on abortion changes. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Justice Minister Andrew Little was blindsided this week over NZ First wanting a referendum on abortion changes. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Editorial
EDITORIAL
Political bungling threatened to overshadow any celebration of abortion reform leaping its first hurdle in the House this week.
Barely 24 hours after Justice Minister Andrew Little revealed the sweeping changes on Monday, he was blindsided with a call for them to be put to a public vote.
Itdidn't come from across the Parliamentary floor but from NZ First - a party Labour is governing the country with.
It must have been deja vu for Little, who suffered a similar shock from NZ First when trying to repeal the three strikes criminal legislation last year.
Minister for Children Tracey Martin, one of Peters' MPs, thought differently and apologised to Little.
At no point since Martin began working on the bill last December had anyone within NZ First raised the prospect of an abortion referendum.
But NZ First's caucus decided to push for a referendum on Tuesday and "the majority prevails", she said.
It is incomprehensible that parties working closely together in government – on such an important and contentious issue as abortion – should find themselves in such a shambles.
As well as distracting voters from the substance of the law itself, Martin was forced to spend nearly all her time during its first reading explaining the mix-up.
NZ First ended up supporting the bill through its initial stage on Thursday, which helped it sail through, 94 votes to 23.
NZ First leader Winston Peters said his party had nothing to be sorry for. Photo / Mark Mitchell
It is now destined for select committee and intense scrutiny and debate from both MPs and the public.
The stakes are equally high for the law's advocates and their anti-abortion counterparts.
Those lobbying for change see this as their first chance in more than 40 years for meaningful abortion reform; those fighting to maintain the status quo will know that if the law passes, it's unlikely to be rolled back.
The proposed legislation would decriminalise abortion, giving women access to the procedure until 20 weeks' pregnancy without them having to go through legal hoops.
After that, the person performing the procedure will have to "reasonably believe the abortion is appropriate with regard to the pregnant woman's physical and mental health, and wellbeing".
Proponents disappointed with the post-20 week test should prepare for the law to be watered-down further as Labour shores up support for it across the House.
Politics is, after all, the art of compromise.
But one change too important to be negotiated away is the removal of abortion from the Crimes Act.
As it stands, its presence within that statute is extremely unpalatable.
It unfairly stigmatises the thousands of women who have abortions each year as well as others who weigh up the procedure while pregnant.
As Little argued this week, women should have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies.
"Safe abortion should be treated and regulated as a health issue. Abortion is the only medical procedure that is still a crime in New Zealand."
