F R E E D O M O F C H O I C E 


The topic of ‘abortion’ is fraught with conflict as it is inherently delicate in nature. For people who are directly involved in such a process, their experience can also be described as fraught and conflicting, to say the least. Some of the difficulties lie in the opinions of masses, coming from left, right and centre, either condoning or opposing on this issue http://prolife.org.nz/ http://www.alranz.org/ (Here are just a couple web site organizations taking a stand on the issue). What is important to acknowledge here, is that any decisions made around the abortion, are likely to be made with much consideration and hardship, given the implications associated with this process, and includes, physical, emotional and mental well-being, family and financial considerations. Applying the no-abortion restriction law in New Zealand is simply granting our woman with the trust and respect to make their own best informed choices. When New Zealand’s abortion law was initially passed in 1977, there were only 4 woman MPs in Parliament. Interestingly, all four voted against the current restrictive law on abortion. As J. Valenti (2014), a published author and a woman’s advocate summaries, “At the end of the day, women's bodily integrity must trump politics. No abortion restrictions is about fundamentally trusting women – trusting their choices, trusting them with their own bodies and trusting that they know what is best for them and their families”.