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Crown lawyers have requested a review of a ruling that six women who have had abortions can testify in a court case against the Abortion Supervisory Committee.
Anti-abortion group Right to Life New Zealand is taking the Government-appointed committee to court, alleging it has failed to ensure the human rights of unborn children.
In December a High Court judge rejected an application by the Crown, representing the committee, that the evidence from the six women was irrelevant and ruled they should be allowed to testify through sworn affidavits.
Crown lawyers also sought, unsuccessfully, to have name suppression removed for the women, and to have the testimony of a psychiatrist for Right to Life struck out.
The Crown has now lodged an appeal against the High Court judgment which Right to Life said today would be "vigorously opposed".
The organisation's spokesman Ken Orr said the women would say that during the counselling they received prior to having abortions the risks of physical and psychological damage were not explained to them.
Nor had there been a discussion about the fact that the abortion was being authorised on mental health grounds, Mr Orr said.
Mr Orr said a specialist psychiatrist would testify abortion should not be authorised on mental health grounds, as it gave rise to an increased risk of depression.
The psychiatrist would say that women who were already depressed could suffer from distorted judgment, and their ability to consent to an abortion was in doubt.
Mr Orr said Right to Life expected further appeals from the Crown.
"We believe it's quite possible that the Crown will seek to have the women present themselves in court, to be subject to cross-examination. That would be quite unusual in cases of this nature."
Right to Life expected an outcome on the review within the next three months, he said.
- NZPA
