The group is advocating for demonstrations in front of Supreme Court justices' homes.

Their account was restored with no notice or explanation, a Ruth Sent Us spokesperson says.

The group has been organising demonstrations following indications that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn 50 years of federal abortion protections established by Roe v. Wade.

On Saturday, the group posted from a "back up" TikTok account that it had been permanently banned for violating "community guidelines."

"Individuals are notified of our decisions and can appeal them if they believe no violation has occurred," the guidelines say.

"We will temporarily or permanently ban accounts and/or users that are involved in severe or repeated on-platform violations; we may also consider actions on other platforms and offline behaviour in these decisions."

Prohibited activities include incitement to violence, bullying or sharing personal information such as home addresses.

Ruth Sent Us says many comments and individual posts taken down from TikTok have since been restored apart from one featuring bloody pants.

A video of demonstrators pouring red paint on the crotches of their white pants still appears on the Ruth Sent Us TikTok page, but now comes with a content warning.

Ruth Sent Us, named for former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was criticised for "doxxing" (ie releasing private information) after the group posted a map marking the location of the six justices appointed by Republican presidents.

But Ruth Sent Us insists that it never doxxed anyone because the map used geolocation data for the pins, which identified the Virginia and Maryland homes of the six justices.

The "Extremist Justices" map was created by Vigil for Democracy, which is among a constellation of activist groups urging various protests and boycotts in response to the Supreme Court's possible overturn of Roe.

Ruth Sent Us is also urging disruptions of Catholic masses.

After many Washington DC-area churches released statements of concern, Ruth Sent Us responded on Twitter:

"Stuff your rosaries and your weaponised prayer. We will remain outraged after this weekend, so keep praying. We'll be burning the Eucharist to show our disgust for the abuse Catholic churches have condoned for centuries."

Ruth Sent Us demonstrations frequently feature women in red cloaks and white bonnets - identical to those worn by women in "The Handmaid's Tale". Set in a dystopian future in which abortion is illegal, women are treated as sex slaves and forced to marry and bear children against their will.

In the weeks since the draft decision was leaked, numerous protests have begun pushing for abortion rights.

Ruth Sent Us has released a weekly schedule for demonstrating outside the justices' homes.

Sourcr

• FoxNews

It also removes the legal test for the procedure up until 20 weeks.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops are deeply disappointed with the abortion law changes.

"This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at least two human lives involved in every pregnancy," said a spokesperson for the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, Ms Cynthia Piper.

Click here to read the full statement.

The abortion law change cut across some of the lines that usually divide the Labour Party and the National Party.

Justice Minister Andrew Little said the issue was "tempered with very deeply held views with great passions" and that the public and members on all sides of the House, some he considered friends, had very entrenched views.

Retiring National MP, Amy Adams said of those who were voting against the Bill: "their views are their own."

Adams noted that throughout the debate on the abortion law change some people in the House, particularly those supporting the Bill, said they respected "the rights, and the views of everyone in this house and their views in the debate are all valid."

"Interestingly enough, I haven't heard that much of those views expressed by the voice of those opposing this legislation," she said.

"And I find it somewhat staggering that those who preach freedom of expression and religious tolerance the most are the least tolerant of those who are supporting this legislation."

"And yet we run the risk of allowing a very vocal minority, largely, in my view, directed by the religious leaders across New Zealand, although I accept that may not be true for all, to derail important legislative reform," she said.

National MPs who voted against the Bill
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Maggie Barry, Andrew Bayly, Simon Bridges, Simeon Brown, Gerry Brownlee, Jacqui Dean, Sarah Dowie, Paulo Garcia, Paul Goldsmith, Nathan Guy, Joanne Hayes, Harete Hipango, Matt King, Denise Lee, Melissa Lee, Agnes Loheni, Tim Macindoe, Todd McClay, Ian McKelvie, Todd Muller, Alfred Ngaro, Simon O'Connor, Parmjeet Parmar, Christopher Penk, Maureen Pugh, Shane Reti, Alastair Scott, Nick Smith, Louise Upston, Tim van den Molen, Hamish Walker, Michael Woodhouse, Jonathan Young, Lawrence Yule (35)

Labour MPs who voted against the Bill.
Damien O'Connor, Greg O'Connor, Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki, Nanaia Mahuta, Adrian Rurawhe, Jenny Salesa, Jamie Strange, Rino Tirikatene, Meka Whaitiri (9)

NZ First MPs who voted against the Bill
Darroch Ball, Shane Jones, Ron Mark, Clayton Mitchell, Mark Patterson, Winston Peters, Fletcher Tabuteau (7 MPs)

• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• nytimes.com
• politik.co.nz
• familyfirst.org.nz
• Image: politik.co.nz

The New Zealand Catholic bishops have sent a message to church members encouraging them to inform themselves about the issue and to take some action while the revision is under consideration.

Click here to see a comparison between the existing and the proposed legislation and a list of points for anyone who wishes to make a submission to consider.

In their message, the bishops say: " every pregnancy involves at least two lives - the child and the mother. Every abortion takes away an innocent life."

"Protecting and caring for life from conception to natural death stands at the core of our Catholic faith. From the moment an embryo comes into existence, a genetically and spiritually unique human life has begun," the bishops say.

"It is already the human being it will always be. It will only grow in size and complexity and is therefore entitled to be treated with the same respect as other human beings."

The bishops suggest three ways of responding to the present situation.

Political
We are called to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We have an obligation to advocate for the right to life of the unborn child and the well-being of mothers. We encourage every one of you to exercise your democratic right to make a submission to parliament and to contact your local MP.

Prayerful
Every human life is a gift from God. Just as parents spontaneously pray for their unborn child, so we are called to pray for all the unborn, as well as for their parents and extended families. We also pray for wisdom for our MPs.

Pastoral:
Our belief in the sanctity of life is demonstrated in the way we show love for both unborn children and their mothers. The message others hear from us will be shaped not just by our words, but also by the way in which we speak and act. We need to ask: ‘After this debate is over, will our faith communities be seen as places of love, compassion and care that women facing the challenges of a pregnancy will want to turn to?'

Source

• Supplied: catholic.org.nz
• Image: catholic.org.nz

The bill will be voted on in a conscience vote.

The first reading is likely to be on Thursday.

Salient aspects of the proposed legislation

• Abortion is removed from the crimes act.
• A woman who is not more than 20 weeks pregnant can self-refer to an abortion provider without the need for any statutory test. Last year only 57 of the more than 13,000 abortions performed were for a woman who was more than 20 weeks pregnant.
• A woman who is more than 20 weeks pregnant must consult a health practitioner.
• The health professional may approve an abortion after 20 weeks if the practitioner reasonably believes the abortion is appropriate given the pregnant woman's physical and mental health and well-being.
• It ensures health professionals advise women of the availability of counselling services if they are considering an abortion or have had an abortion. Counselling, however, is not mandatory.
• Safe areas around specific abortion facilities may be established by regulation on a case-by-case basis. This was not one of the recommendations of the Law Commission, which suggested it "could not see a strong case" for excluding protesters, but did say the issue warranted further consideration.
• Practitioners who object to providing abortions on the grounds of conscience must inform the pregnant women about their objection and inform the woman that she can obtain the services elsewhere.
• It will still be a criminal offence for unqualified people who attempt to procure an abortion on a pregnant woman or supply the means for obtaining an abortion.
• It will still be a criminal offence to cause the death of a fetus by causing harm to a pregnant woman.

In October last year the Law Commission recommended three options for reform:

a) There is no test - the woman decides with her health practitioner.

b) There is a test - the woman would need to prove the abortion is appropriate.

c) There is a test only for later-term abortions - beyond 22 weeks.

Some commentators say the government has gone with the most conservative of the options.

Voice for Life spokesperson Kate Cormack said the Bill was "radical" and "extremely disturbing".

Reform campaigners, on the other hand, are pleased with the changes, but some feel they have not gone far enough.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• newshub.co.nz
• Image: teara.govt.nz

Ireland's National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) and their health minister Simon Harris have appeared at loggerheads after the doctors' group said that onward referral of a patient should not be compulsory.

A motion insisting on a conscientious objection provision was passed at a recent meeting of the NAGP.

The legal situation around conscientious objection and referral in New Zealand states that doctors, without necessarily giving a specific name, must inform the patient that the service can be provided from another healthcare provider.

A High Court case in 2010 upheld the right of New Zealand doctors to opt out of giving advice to patients seeking an abortion.

It found guidelines went too far in requiring doctors to provide information about abortions themselves and refer women to another doctor.

Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, President of the NAGP, had argued in an op-ed for TheJournal.ie last week that "being pro-choice is one thing, but providing an abortion service is another".

The New Zealand approach, he said, provided a workable solution which respects the views of all.

Life Site has reported that The Pro-Life Campaign has described as "very revealing and significant" the results of a post-referendum survey published on GPBuddy.ie which shows that a majority of GPs in Ireland have a conscientious objection to providing abortion and do not intend to provide medical abortion services in their practice.

The survey also found that over 75% of responding GPs (936 GPs took part in the survey) do not think abortion up to 12 weeks should be GP-led. 68% said they would not 'opt in' to such a service.

Source

• thejournal.ie
• lifesitenews.com
• Image: americamagazine.org

On Monday, Jack Tame on TVNZ and Susie Ferguson on Morning report challenged his position.

Bridges said his position on abortions was that they should be "rare, safe, legal" - with an emphasis on rare.

He said he believes the present system is working well.

Bridges said the issue would be a conscious vote for National MPs.

On its website, TVNZ notes that Bridges is "religious."

Bridges' father was a Baptist minister and he is a practising Christian.

In a 2013 interview, Bridges said religion played a minor part in his adult life.

"I would still consider myself a believer. I do believe in God."

He and his wife Natalie are reported to have attended an Anglican church in Tauranga.

They met at Oxford while she was doing a Masters in English Literature and he was doing a Bachelor in Civil Law.

Both Ferguson and Tame's questions were motivated by the Irish voting in a referendum to remove the prohibition on abortion from their constitution.

"If you look at Ireland, they had a situation where it was probably the most restrictive regime in the western world - that's not where we're at" Bridges said.

Irish Minister for Health, Simon Harris, will seek the cabinet's backing on Tuesday to draft the new legislation.

The proposed legislation will allow abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

It will allow them up to the 24th week in exceptional circumstances.

New Zealand Catholic bishops' position is the law should protect the rights of both the mother and the unborn child.

They say it is both a justice and a health issue.

Source

• bbc.com
• radionz.co.nz
• thecivilian.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• www.noted.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

Their concern is that that making abortion purely a health issue would limit or remove the rights of the unborn child that the current law acknowledges.

In their joint submission to the Law Commission, made last Friday the NZCBC and the and the Nathaniel Centre argue that the State has a responsibility to protect and care for all human life, born and unborn.

They say it would an abdication of this responsibility to make abortion solely a matter between a woman and her doctor.

Justice Minister, Andrew Little has, in previous comments, indicated that a full review of the abortion laws would take place.

But a press release from the Bishops Conference expresses the view that the brief given to the Law Commission falls far short of this.

It says the minister has, instead, indicated the government wants abortion to be treated as "a health issue", rather than a criminal one.

As a result, the Law Commission now has the task of providing an alternative legal framework to facilitate this change.

The NZCBC President, Bishop Patrick Dunn, said that the changes they are proposing in their submission would ensure continued consideration of the rights of the unborn child.

They would also and promote the well-being of women, including better processes to ensure adequate informed consent, especially independent counselling."

The submission also calls for a parallel review of the social support structures, familial, financial, emotional and social, that our society offers to women who are pregnant.

"A decision for an abortion can only be described as a truly ‘free' choice' if the woman knows there is tangible support that enables her to choose to keep the child," said Dunn.

Ko te Huinga Pihopa o te Hahi Katorika o Aotearoa (NZCBC) te kahui whakahaere o nga mahi whakapono a-motu me nga ropu minita o te Hahi Katorika. Otira nga ropu matauranga, tika me te pono, kaitohutohu Maori, whakapaoho whakawhiti whakaaro me te toro atu ki te iwi nui tonu, ritenga o te Hahi, whakawhanaungatanga o nga Hahi, matatika koiora, whakawhanaungatanga o nga whakapono, mahi minita ki nga whareherehere me nga hohipera, oti atu.

Read the Submission

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan NZCBC
• Image: dailyrounds.org

The family-friendly event aimed to:

• Celebrate life
• Remember the more than 500,000 pre-born babies who have been aborted since 1974
• Increase public awareness of abortion, and its impact on women, families and society while highlighting the alternatives and support available to the abortion-vulnerable.
• Bring all New Zealanders of goodwill together, united in the one common vision of making abortion unthinkable.

Well over six hundred ‘voices for the voiceless' from all around the country carried signs from the Civic Centre to Parliament sharing the message ‘We love them both' and witnessing to the truth of the dignity and sacredness of every human life from conception until natural death.

At Parliament grounds, the gathering continued with entertainment from the Mother of Divine Mercy Refuge youth.

A line-up of inspirational speakers included David Light, Commonwealth silver-medallist in boxing.

A spokesperson said a spirit of peace and joy permeated the event.

She said the organisers hope the March for Life will become an annual gathering to promote a culture of love and life.

December 2017 marks 40 years since the passing of the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act.

The National March for Life New Zealand was organised by people who wish to be a voice for the voiceless.

It was supported by Voice for Life, Right to Life, Family Life International NZ and the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference.

Source

• Supplied
• March for Life
• Image: Supplied

Students choose the best club annually by voting with a thumbs-up symbol or 'like' on Facebook.

The Campus Feminist Collective said it became suspicious when it saw the anti-abortion club had vastly more votes than others, with many coming from pastors and middle-aged people living in Missouri, Alabama and Australia.

The collective decided to act by alerting their supporters and encouraging them to vote for an alternative club - the Snowsport Club.

But then the Snowsport Club's votes jumped by 1000 and it was accused of buying Brazilian bots to up the numbers - something the feminist group denied any involvement in.

The university was forced to change its voting process, to make sure only students were involved.

On a university Facebook page, the clubs support committee said the fun competition had "devolved into accusations of unfairness and cheating".

It was untenable to continue to run the competition in its current form, the committee said.

The awards were announced on Thursday. The Snowsport Club received the People's Choice Award. Last year it received the Sports Club of the year award.

The overall club of the year was the CompSci Society.

Source

• RNZ
• University of Auckland
• Image: University of Auckland

Auckland University Students Association members are now able to vote on whether the ProLife Auckland group should remain affiliated with the association.

The referendum also asks whether clubs with a "similar ideology" should be banned from affiliating in the future. Continue reading

Family First has taken the occasion as an opportunity to highlight the fact that the unborn child has no legal rights.

They say the new law gives the Whanganui river and all its tributaries more rights than the unborn child.

"Although New Zealand now feels compelled to grant human rights to non-living entities in the nation, the country allows women of any age to have an abortion under a number of circumstances."

"That's right folks. An unborn child has less rights than a river. Only in NZ!"

In 2011 the court of appeal upheld a previous high court judge's ruling that unborn children do not have a right to life.

However, in law, a legal person, is not the same thing as natural person.

Legal, or judicial, person

Refers to a non-human entity that is treated as a person for limited legal purposes. Legal persons can sue and be sued, own property, and enter into contracts.

There are already numerous legal persons in New Zealand. Many corporations, trust boards, and church institutions are legal persons.

Natural person

Refers to an individual human being. No other entity can be deemed to be a natural person.

In many cases, fundamental human rights are implicitly granted only to natural persons.

In most countries for example, legal persons cannot vote, marry, or hold public office.

Most countries also exclude legal persons from holding natural or constitutional rights, such as the freedom of speech.

The Whanganui river is the first river in the world to be made a legal person.

This week India granted Ganges and Yamuna rivers legal person status. In making their decision, the judges cited the ruling in New Zealand as part of their reasoning.

Source

• familyfirst.org.nz
• law.cornell.edu
• wikipedia.org
• dw.com
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: geoffcloake.co.nz

A spokesperson for the New Zealand's Catholic Bishops Conference, Simone Olsen, said of Catholics for Choice: "Clearly this group's message is inconsistent with the Church's teaching on family which seeks to protect the vulnerable and the voiceless including the unborn and at every stage of life's journey." Continue reading in NZ Catholic

However, ACT Party leader David Seymour said there was no need for its inclusion in his bill to legalise assisted suicide.

The bill is waiting to be drawn from Parliament's members' ballot.

Palmer said as well as medical standards, legal standards needed to be met too. So by involving a judges would ensure there was a publicly credible system in place

"In its essential elements it's connected to the human rights of the person involved. It's not for doctors to play god on this matter."

As well as removing doctors from the ethical conundrum some may be faced with, Palmer said the family court was user-friendly, non-invasive and a Skype conference could be used if people were too unwell to attend.

Palmer proposed seven key criteria that had to be satisfied first - all of which are included in Seymour's bill.

Seymour said he would not rule out Family Court involvement entirely, but he did not see the point.

He says all decisions on euthanasia with the Family Court may hinder a person who wanted to die, from taking part in their own decision,

He believes his bill is similar to the system of voluntary euthanasia in Oregon in the United States, which worked well without a family court's involvement.

"They haven't brought in an additional layer of bureaucracy or decision-makers and so yes, it's an interesting idea, but there's no reason to think that there's a serious problem to be solved or that the benefits of having additional people involved in this decision would outweigh the costs."

However family law specialist Erin Ebborn said a Family Court procedure would not be cumbersome, especially when there were clear procedures being outlined.

"I don't see safeguards as being bureaucracy and cost.

Palmer, who had once worked with Lecretia Seales, has said the law needed to be changed to "allow her wish to be granted".

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: scoop.co.nz

In the Australian states of Tasmania and Victoria, filming, intimidation and protests are banned within 150m of abortion centres.

In New South Wales, a bill to provide a 150m "safe access zone" has just been introduced by a Green MP on the grounds of ensuring the right to medical privacy.

Logie and Catherine Delahunty recently attended a meeting in Thames organised by people concerned about pro-life protesters who protest outside the Thames Hospital abortion clinic on Fridays.

Logie said the Green Party had no plans for a member's bill on the issue but another speaker had raised the Australian example.

There were different views expressed on it and she believed a broader discussion was needed.

"I do think there's is a genuine issue around the impact of those protests directly targeting women and making their lives worse."

Secretary of the Hauraki branch of Voice for Life Lynn Hopkins said they started the protests outside Thames Hospital about five years ago to try to end abortion. She would not support legislation that bans their protests.

"I would think it was rather unfair against the idea of free speech."

Hopkins protests with a placard that reads "women deserve better".

"They deserve better care than being pushed towards having an abortion."

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: stream.org

The demonstration is in response to a regular demonstration by pro life group Voice for Life demonstrators.

Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRANZ) member Scott Summerfield said the aim of the demonstration was to support women seeking abortion services at the hospital.

"They harass and humiliate women coming here for an abortion," he said.

However, Voice for Life Hauraki Branch secretary Lyn Hopkins said the pro-life group's demonstrations were peaceful.

She denied that any of the demonstrators in her group had harassed women going in for an abortion.

"We just say good morning to people walking past and if somebody wants to talk to us they can," she said.
"We offer advice, care and support if they want it.

"We want these people to think about the issue and to be there to support women who want to make a better choice in their life and that is to choose life for their child."

Green MP Catherine Delahunty was at the demonstration.

"I don't think that they have an understanding of how damaging these actions have been, not only to those women going to the health services but for people who have been traumatised by their own experiences," she said.

Hopkins said the Voice for Life group could not demonstrate on August 5 because it didn't have a permit from Thames Coromandel District Council.

The group had been demonstrating without a permit for about five years because they weren't aware they needed one, she said.

However, they intended to resume their protest as soon as they could get a permit, she said.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Jackie Edmond, CEO of the Family Planning Association thinks abortion should be considered as a health issue.

She is calling on the government remove the legislation about abortion from the crimes act.

"To the quiet majority, abortion is a health care service like any other and should be accessed and regulated as such."

"In 2016, our abortion laws are a relic of the past. Abortion laws should protect and promote human rights, women's health and autonomy," she said.

Orr says The FPA is confused when it claims "1960s law unacceptable for 21st century women of New Zealand".

"Right to Life asks if they have read the law which was passed not in the 1960s but in December 1977."

NZ rejects CEDAW's calls for law change

Orr says the FPA call is in response to the demands of the United Nations Committee for the Convention for the Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

In its 2012 report CEDAW noted that "abortion remains criminalised in the State party, which leads women to seek illegal abortions, which are often unsafe.

CEDAW urged the Government to:

1. Review the abortion law and practice with a view to simplifying it and to ensure women's autonomy to choose
2. Prevent women from having to resort to unsafe abortions and remove punitive provisions imposed on women who undergo an abortion

In the Final Draft for Consultation of the Eighth Periodic Report by the Government of New Zealand March 2012 - March 2016, submitted in June, the New Zealand Government responded to the CEDAW Report by stating:

• "Abortion is legal in New Zealand for women of any age, if two certifying consultants agree that the pregnancy will seriously harm a woman's physical or mental health."
• "The Government has no plans to review the law on abortion."

Source

• www.stuff.co.nz
• women.govt.nz
• righttolife.org.nz
• Image: catholicleader.com.au

Kaufman is the Communications Director of Family Life International NZ.

"Abortion can seem like the best option at the time, but for many women that relief doesn't last and they regret their abortions," she said.

"We are here to offer real choices that allow women to follow their dreams and allow their pre-born babies to be born."

Family Life International NZ runs Crisis Pregnancy Centres, and helps women and families throughout New Zealand.

The latest figures on abortion from Statistics NZ which show the general abortion rate is continuing to go down (14.2 abortions per 1000 women).

Family Life International NZ says they are pleased about this.

They welcome the news that there are less abortions among women and girls under the age of 25.

The figures showed that among younger women - aged 20 to 24 years old - a peak of 41 per 1000 women in 2003 dropped to 23 last year.

But women aged 20-24 years still has the highest abortion rate (23 abortions per 1,000 women aged 20-24 years).

While the rate of abortions declined the total number of reported induced abortions in New Zealand have increased slightly since 2014.

There were 13,155 reported induced abortions throughout the country during the year of 2015, amounting to 18 more than in 2014 when there were 13,137.

The lower abortion rate indicates that the size and/or age structure of the population drove the small increase in the number of abortions, rather than a proportion of women having abortions," Statistics NZ said.

Kaufmam says while the increase is minimal, the statistics have put an end to the downward trend which has been occurring since 2008.

"We must remember that each of those numbers represents a baby, a mother, a family."

The numbers equate to 36 abortions every single day of the year.

"Imagine that," says Kaufman, "more than one large classroom of children gone, every single day."

"That is devastating for families. That is devastating for society. We must do more to help, to support."

Kaufman also emphasized that Family Life International NZ also wishes to reach out to abortion facility workers, and hospital staff who assist in any way in the abortion process.

"People who work in abortion facilities matter too."

" We want them to know that we care about their well-being."

Latest abortion statistics from Statistics NZ

In the year ended December 2015:

• 13,155 abortions were performed in New Zealand, similar to 2014 (13,137).
• The general abortion rate was 14.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, down slightly from 14.4 per 1,000 in 2014.
• Women aged 20-24 years had the highest abortion rate (23 abortions per 1,000 women aged 20-24 years).
• Most abortions (63 percent) were a woman's first abortion.
• 55 percent of abortions were performed before the 10th week of the pregnancy.
• 18 percent of known pregnancies (live births, stillbirths, and abortions) ended in an abortion.

Source

• Supplied
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: prolife.org.nzg

She said abortions were part of a broken system as they currently fell under justice rather than the Ministry of Health.

Edmonds said this when making a submission last Thursday to the Justice and Electoral select committee's hearing of a petition by Hillary Kieft.

"It's a health issue - it's not an anything else issue," Edmond said.

"We can talk about this as a very large huge event but over 90 per cent of women are happy with the decision they make with abortions."

"Clearly it's a big decision and I don't want to understate it but for many women it's a positive experience in what was a difficult situation."

Kieft's petition to Parliament calls for abortion law changes that will make it mandatory for parents of a child under the age of 16 to be told before their daughter has an abortion.

The two proposed changes sought for legislation to ensure parents were notified before daughters are referred for an abortion, and to ensure there is "a fully informed consent" from those undergoing the procedure.

Family Planning however is strongly opposed to making parent notification for under-16s mandatory or compulsory post-abortion counselling as mooted by Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox.

Family Planning National Medical Adviser Christine Roke told MPs that parental involvement in abortions was a good thing "but pushing it on young people isn't".

"It's breaching confidentiality and privacy for a questionable benefit".

She said there was no proof that abortions caused mental health issues in women so that was not a reason for parents to need to be told.

Kieft's own daughter, who was 15 at the time, was taken for an abortion in Hawera in 2010.

It was arranged by her school and it wasn't until a year later when she attempted suicide that Kieft found out what her daughter had been through.

In 2008 a long-term Christchurch study of more than 500 women found a link between having an abortion and an increase of nearly a third in the risk of disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Reporting their findings in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the Otago University researchers said that abortions account for 1.5 to 5.5 per cent of the overall rate of mental disorders.

The researchers said their study backed up others overseas which concluded that having an abortion may be linked to an increased risk of mental health problems.

When the study was published a pro-abortion group said that international evidence was inconclusive.

The then president of the Abortion Law Reform Association, Margaret Sparrow said it was likely that the effect of abortion on mental health was small or negligible and closely linked to factors that led to unplanned pregnancies.

She cited the findings of an American Psychological Association taskforce on mental health and abortion.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: smallvictoriesusa.com

Using the freephone number the service has been set up by Wairarapa abortion doctor Simon Snook because of the delays, said to be potentially harmful, faced by many New Zealand women seeking to end a pregnancy.

The standard process for a woman seeking an abortion involves a GP or family planning doctor referring them to an abortion clinic.

The woman is then assessed by two consultants who have to agree to proceed with the abortion.

Snook says if the free phone is used the average delay is around just under 28 days.

He says the service was not bypassing the proper process and there was no intent to rush a person into having an abortion.

In January 2014 Pope Francis criticised abortion as evidence of a "throwaway culture" that wastes people as well as food.

In his speech on world crises, Francis cited abortion and said: "Unfortunately what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as unnecessary."

Last November Pope Francis told told a group of Catholic doctors that "playing with life" in ways like abortion and euthanasia is sinful, and he stressed that each human life, no matter the condition, is sacred.

"Be careful, because this is a sin against the Creator: against God the Creator."

Pope Francis offered his words in an address given to members of the Italian Catholic Doctors Association in celebration of their 70th anniversary.

He recalled that many times in his years as a priest he heard people object to the Church's position on life issues, specifically asking why the Church is against abortion.

After explaining to the inquirer that the Church is not against abortion because it is simply a religious or philosophical issue, he said it's also because abortion "is a scientific problem, because there is a human life and it's not lawful to take a human life to solve a problem."

Regardless of the many objections he has heard saying that modern thought has evolved on the issue, the Pope stressed that "in ancient thought and in modern thought, the word ‘kill' means the same!"

The belief that abortion is helpful for women, that euthanasia is "an act of dignity," or that it's "a scientific breakthrough to ‘produce' a child (who is) considered a right instead of accepted as a gift" are all part of conventional wisdom that offers a false sense of compassion, he said.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• catholicnewsagency.com
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The Labour Party and Family Planning say they will fight the proposed amendment.

The petition was prompted by the experience of the Kieft family in Stratford in 2009.

Hillary Kieft and her husband Peter found out that their daughter, then 15, had had an abortion organised by her school, when she attempted suicide a year later in 2010.

Last Monday Kieft presented a petition calling for an amendment to the law to Whanganui MP Chester Borrows.

Her petition was aiming at helping both girls and their families facing an unplanned teenage pregnancy.

"Whether or not a girl goes on and has an abortion or not, give us the right as parents to support her through the ordeal," said Kieft.

The school and Family Planning involvement ended with the procedure, and no follow-up counselling was given.

Six years after the procedure, their daughter still suffered from depression, and was infertile, so would never be able to have children, Keift said.

At 15, their daughter was not mature enough to have made a genuinely informed decision on her own, she said.

The reason she hadn't wanted to tell them about her pregnancy was because she was ashamed and scared, they found out later.

"She thought that we would be disappointed in her, just the normal family stuff."

So instead, the girls' boarding school she attended arranged for her to have a termination through Family Planning in Hawera.

"One day she didn't come home and I rang the school and was told she had gone to a counselling appointment, and she was dropped home later that day."

That was the day she had had the abortion.

The two proposed changes sought for legislation to ensure parents were notified before daughters are referred for an abortion, and to ensure there is "a fully informed consent" from those undergoing the procedure.

At present, those aged under 16 are able to have information restricted from anyone if it's deemed "the disclosure of that information would be contrary to that individual's interests", according to Section 29 (1)(d) of the Privacy Act 1993.

In order for the changes to be made Borrows would have to get enough support from his caucus and the Minister responsible, Justice Minister Amy Adams, for an amendment to be made.

Ms Adams is making little comment at this stage, except to say the petition has gone to select committee.

Labour's spokesperson for Justice Jacinda Ardern said the law should remain the way it was.

"There is a minority of young people for whom there may be instances of sexual abuse or even incest or it may just be a dangerous thing to disclose to their family, and that's who the law is there to protect." she said.

Family Planning chief executive Jackie Edmond said any changes would be a sad day and a "very backwards step" for New Zealand.

"We've already got a very restrictive abortion law that's outdated and not fit for modern day," said Edmond.

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