My brief two is about legal abortion in New Zealand. In this blog i will explore the legal and controversial side of abortions with links to legal information and people,articles that are against abortion. I will attempt to explore stories and reasons for abortion in New Zealand and discuss some issues around the world about legal and illegal abortions.
Abortion in New Zealand is legal. An abortion can be performed any time during pregnancy in a licensed clinic around New Zealand. There are different clinics which can provide abortions for women over and under 12 weeks gestation. The law for abortion can be found under Contraception, sterilisation and abortion act. 1977 and grounds or reasons for legal abortion can be found under the Crimes Act 1961.
The abortion rate in New Zealand has dropped in recent years, at the end of December 2009 the rate had decreased by 19.2% (abortions per 1000 women aged 15-44) and a further more 18.1% in 2010. This is the lowest percentage in abortions in New Zealand since 1999.
ALRANZ
There is a huge controversy around abortion in New Zealand. Quoted from ALRANZ "ALRANZ firmly believes that a woman should decide whether or not to continue her pregnancy, not parliamentarians with a conscience vote and not state-funded doctors. With respect to informed consent they do not conform to The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights. (par.10)" from my knowledge an abortion in New Zealand is 100% womens choice and right. If a doctor were to suggest an abortion due to complications which would affect the child or mother than that would be suggested and not forced upon the mother. ALRANZ is not a anti-abortion group but stands for Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand, which means there are some flaws within the already passed act that needs some twitching around with.
ALRANZ also believes that the abortion should not be treated as a criminal issue but a health issue. I believe in this point which was stated in an article by MASSIVE (voice of Massey University). There are many reasons for getting an abortion, the law states that in New Zealand an abortion can be carried out by health professionals if the pregnancy were to in danger either the physical or mental health of the mother, or if there were any health issues with the fetus. In this case I focus on the health and well-being of the mother.
Consequences of an abortion
With an abortion comes the obvious mental health issues of losing a child due to your choice or due to severe health issues which prevented you from carrying out a pregnancy to full term. In the U.S there were a few studies conducted to see into the effects and consequences of having an abortion. 10% of women who had mental health problems were those who have had an abortion. With an abortion comes the mental issue of dealing with the effects of allowing the termination of your unborn child. There is also a growing number of women and girls turning to drug abuse and suicide after the procedure but tests on these are inconclusive.
A major health issue with abortions is pre-term birth. Pre-term is the birth of your child before 37 weeks. Women who have had an abortion have a 64% of pre-term birth. The percentage rises for those who had more than one termination.
The cost of an abortion
The cost of an abortion in a clinic in New Zealand ranges between $1000 and $1300. If you are a New Zealand resident these fees are wavered and are government funded. Some may argue that all this money spent on paying for women to get free abortions is unnecessary and the money should be spent on other more important things. Important things such as child benefits for mothers who have multiples kids and sit home and live on government grants. Im not saying that it is wrong to do both but there is an even scale here, if a young teen were to become pregnant and had neither the supplies or support to raise a child, she would have a choice of a free abortion or keep her child and go onto a benefit to help her and her child. There are good support systems where the teen could continue to attend high school and have free daycare for her child. She would get financial help and if needed housing for her and her child. So what would you rather have your tax money spent on? supporting those who are unable (or lazy in some case) to provide for their child/ren or would you mind your money going towards helping a women or girl have an abortion procedure?
Conclusion
Abortion is a very upsetting topic. People are welcome to their own opinions on abortions. I personally believe that abortion is a women's right to her body. Everybody is entitled to make their own decisions in life, unfortunately for some they are left with a huge dilemma whether to abort or carry out the pregnancy.
If abortions in New Zealand were illegal what sorts of health issues would that produce for women who have been raped and forced to carry out full term with the child of their rapist. Yes, there are other options besides abortion such as adoption. It's a sad and cruel world where there are loving couples who fail to produce a child of there own, so why are there let's say 'careless' people out there getting pregnant as easy as 1,2,3 just to abort their child. There are thousands of children in the world who go with out parents, food, a good home and love. What are there chances of adoption? A child that has already been born into the world but has to suffer. Why aren't they being adopted apposed to those who are only 6 weeks gestation and the mother is considering an abortion. Im not saying any life is less important than another, but just a little something to think about.
Sometimes abortion is not the choice of the mother but the peer pressure from, family, friends or in most cases the father of the child. This would not be easy for a women to be denied the choice of her pregnancy. So for these cases do these women really need the disapproval of those who argue that abortion is selfish and that there are option for you to consider. So the next time you hear about abortions, stop and think about the many possible reasons that person may have carried out that procedure. Mental health issues, peer-pressure, physical health issues, rape or incest are those which should be considered as they are the grounds in which an abortion in New Zealand can be performed. Abortions are not forced upon anyone and is the choice of the mother and her body, don't judge a book by it's cover. Everybody has a story to tell.
Further readings:
Post abortion help
Abortion may lead to mental health problems
Family Health Clinic (Auckland)
Post abortion help
Abortion may lead to mental health problems
Family Health Clinic (Auckland)
References
A New Zealand resource for life related issues (2012) Abortion Stories. [online] Available at: http://www.life.org.nz/abortion/abortion-stories/ [Accessed: 8 May 2012].
Abortion Service in New Zealand (2006) Legal Information. [online] Available at: http://www.abortion.gen.nz/legal/index.html [Accessed: 1 May 2012].
Abortion Services in New Zealand (2011) Medical Abortion. [online] Available at: http://www.abortion.gen.nz/procedures/medical.html [Accessed: 1 May 2012].
Abortion Services in New Zealand (2005) Crimes Act 1961. [online] Available at: http://www.abortion.gen.nz/legal/crimesact.html [Accessed: 1 May 2012].
After Abortion.org (2011) Abortion and Mental Health Controversy Reignited by New Study. [online] Available at: http://afterabortion.org/2011/abortion-and-mental-health-controversy-reignited-by-new-study/ [Accessed: 3 May 2012].
ALRANZ (2011) What is wrong with these laws?. [online] Available at: http://www.alranz.org/laws/whyweneedachange/whatiswrong.html [Accessed: 4 May 2012].
Massey (voice of Victoria University) (2012) Should the practice of abortion be banned within New Zealand?. [online] Available at: http://www.massivemagazine.org.nz/blog/2012/03/21/should-the-practice-of-abortion-be-banned-within-new-zealand/ [Accessed: 8 May 2012].
POST ABORTION TRAUMA HEALING SERVICE (2012) Hurting after an abortion?. [online] Available at: http://www.postabortionpaths.org.nz/About/index.asp [Accessed: 3 May 2012].
Hello Lia, very nice topic, this is a huge issue around the globe. I'm totally against about this, I think people should not do this to a innocent baby who want to receive a physical body and live in this earth, but people are so selfish in this world. They're not even know they breaking the law in this world but also they commit sin. I believe if you do some more research about your topic and then your topic will stands out with all the facts that people should aware of. Looking forward to read more of your blog Lia. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteRosa
hi Rosa,
DeleteThank you for post i think you may made this comment before i had finished but if you read it now there is much more information containing grounds of abortion in New Zealand. There is no law being broken by receiving an abortion due to certain grounds on which an abortion can be performed. There are many reasons for women or in some cases girls to want an abortion and not to be rude but i think that people who judge them are selfish themselves.
Hi it's great to see how you will address this very controversial issue. I would like to know what side you tend towards though.
ReplyDeleteI like to stay on the side of choice and it is up to whoever wants it or not, but I am not going to try and convince others otherwise because it is their choice too. Of course with so many differing opinions in the world a topic like this is entirely difficult to stay objective and will become controversial.
Keep going I want to see more! :)
Thank you for your comment,
DeleteI side with you, it's not like there just allowing anybody and everybody to get free abortions, it is under careful analysis by a number of doctors who will decide whether or not a women complies with the basis of receiving an abortion.
Hi Lia, great topic you have chosen here, it's definitely one of those problems people face nowadays. I think it's the individual's choice to choose what is wanted in the future. People only live once in this world: choose differently, live differently, we all have that liberty. It's hard to say abortion is right or wrong because there are all kinds of opinions out there in the world about this issue.
ReplyDeletekeep up the good work, looking forward to see more=)
Thanks for your comments, hopefully i haven't treaded on anyones toes about my own personal views. Hope this makes people think twice about abortions.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lia.
ReplyDeleteIt was very nice topic you chose. This is important and serious issue in the world and we should discuss about it.
Many teenagers had abortion in Korea too. I hope all these people who had abortion before, is now happy.
And I think when people having sex with someone who love, they should care for it and think about their future deeply. ...
abortion is so sad...
The conclusion is very well written. The part about peer pressure into getting an abortion is very sad! It is horrible to think that a woman might be forced to kill her own baby against her own will! Also I agree that victims of rape should be allowed to abort their child as it would be a very hard thing to keep a baby of a rapist. A woman who would keep the child would be truly remarkable but it should not be expected of people. It really is hard to decide where to stand on this matter. Abortion is still killing a child in any case which is very sad. I agree with Amy.b when she says that couples should think about their future. If people do not want a baby, they should try and take steps to avoid becoming pregnant so that the issue of abortion would not have to be faced.
ReplyDeleteThis is excluding cases such as rape of course.
Abortion is a controversial issue but I think that it should only be used as a last option. I do agree that the choice is up to the mother but in saying that she shouldn't have to make decisions on her own about the baby - there should always be ample support for her and in whatever choice she makes.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't know that abortions had a financial cost here in New Zealand for those that are not residents, do you agree with charging non residents to have an abortion?
Hello Courtenay,
DeleteThe only costs on abortion are if you go privately and yes like all hospital health care costs there is a fee if you are not a resident or citizen. I'm not too sure if this should change or not as it is a medical operation and takes time and money to perform. It is government funded but i guess in serious cases where it might be the rape of a foreign student she may get support and help if she were to seek out abortion as an option.