http://themilitant.com/2016/8031/803154.html
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Vol. 80/No. 31 August 22, 2016
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
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