'Must-tell' abortion law backed by Brash

National leader Don Brash has backed a bid by one of his MPs to make sure parents are told if their under-age daughters are seeking abortions.

National MP Judith Collins is seeking to amend the Care of Children Bill to make notification of parents mandatory for abortions on girls under 16.

A Herald-DigiPoll survey published yesterday found that 71.1 per cent of respondents thought a doctor should tell parents if a girl under 16 sought an abortion, even if she did not want them to know.

The survey found that 23.4 per cent believed the doctor should not tell, and 5.5 per cent did not know or refused to answer.

Asked if the law should make it compulsory for the doctor to tell the girl's parents, the number in favour dropped to 60.7 per cent and those against rose to 34.4 per cent.

In a statement yesterday, Ms Collins described the poll result as "a vote for common sense and for families".

A select committee considering the bill has recommended retaining the status quo of almost 30 years, where parental consent is not required.

The Medical Association and Royal College of General Practitioners have recommended MPs vote down Ms Collins' proposed change, arguing that such a position could lead to more backstreet abortions.

Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope claimed that Ms Collins did not have the support of her caucus colleagues.

"I understand there is a large faction within National who appreciate the complexity of these issues and who see Ms Collins' agenda as an attack on both vulnerable young women and medical ethics," Mr Benson-Pope said.

That prompted a response yesterday from Dr Brash, who said National's caucus was "overwhelmingly" in support of a law change and that he would be casting his vote in favour of it.

Some Labour MPs would also like to vote for the change, if they were given the chance to vote according to their consciences.

He said most of Ms Collins' critics were choosing to ignore a "judicial opt-out" clause which meant young girls from abusive backgrounds would have the ability to keep news of their abortion from their parents.

- NZPA