New Zealand action defends access to abortion

Militant/Baskaran Appu

THAMES, New Zealand — A picket to counter harassment of women who use the local hospital here to receive abortions drew 25 people in this small town an hour and a half drive south of Auckland Aug. 5. The protest was the first in a series of activities planned to counter anti-abortion protesters who gather outside Thames Hospital every Friday.

“It’s a small community and lots of people drive past this spectacle of fear and intimidation,” said Scott Summerfield, who, with members of the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand, helped organize the picket and public meeting. “It’s fundamental to support women on this issue.”

Abortion is illegal in New Zealand except in cases of serious danger to the life or to the physical or mental health of a woman, risk of “serious handicap” to the fetus, incest or a woman’s “severe mental incapacity.” Rape is not considered legal grounds. After 20 weeks of pregnancy, the restrictions are tighter.

Many drivers honked their horns in support as they passed the picket.

Thames Hospital also provides abortions for women from the neighboring Bay of Plenty region, including the city of Tauranga with 111,000 people, because the District Health Board there does not provide surgical abortion.

Women often are forced to undergo ultrasound scans, meaning delays that average 25 days, and may have to see up to five different counselors or doctors before they can get an abortion, Green Party Member of Parliament Jan Logie told the public meeting.

— FELICITY COGGAN