THE ALRANZ BLOG
Our latest thoughts and opinions on abortion laws, law reform, trends and controversies; national and international..
For IWD 2019, Abort the Stigma
by Terry Bellamak Another International Women’s Day comes and goes, and New Zealand women still don’t have the freedom to decide for themselves whether or not to receive abortion care. In the land of Kate Sheppard and Suffrage 1893, women are still not treated as...
Reproductive Coercion
by Terry Bellamak Now that New Zealand is finally discussing abortion law reform, some folk are raising concerns about people being forced to get abortions they don’t want, also known as reproductive coercion. This is a favourite talking point for anti-choice folk....
The Effects of Decriminalising Abortion
by Terry Bellamak New Zealand is finally discussing abortion law reform. One of the first items of business on the government’s agenda is taking abortion out of the Crimes Act. This promises to make abortion easier to access, reduce delays, and reduce the unwarranted...
2019, Here We Come
by Terry Bellamak 2018 was a big, amazing year for ALRANZ. We all saw Ireland amend their constitution to allow the Oireachtas to legislate to allow abortion. We got a preview of terrible amendments to watch out for as we progress our own law reform process,...
ALRANZ and the Transgender Community
Recently, the ALRANZ Executive Committee received questions regarding where we stand on the inclusion of transgender and non-binary people in reproductive rights activism. With this in mind, we’re happy to clarify that our policy is one of inclusiveness of trans and...
Safe Access Zones, Please
Students from Wellington Girls College have started a petition calling for safe access zones around Wellington Hospital, to prevent harassment by anti-choice protesters. In a TVNZ article about it, a law professor says: [T]he real issue here, of course, is that...
ALRANZ Analysis: The Law Commission Reports Back
During the last election campaign Jacinda Ardern declared her intention to reform New Zealand’s abortion laws by decriminalising the procedure, and changing the law to treat abortion as a health matter. Last February, her Minister of Justice, Andrew Little, directed...
Safe Access to Abortion Requires Safe Access to the Clinic
by Scott Summerfield, ALRANZ Executive Board You are on your way to the hospital. Something has come up, and you only have a short time to seek medical help before your life is changed forever. You are anxious, a million thoughts running through your mind, but you are...
ALRANZ Complains to the HRC
For the past two years, ALRANZ has been working on a project to bring a complaint to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) about how New Zealand’s abortion laws breach the human rights of pregnant people. We chose this route for several reasons. First, complaining to the...
In the Land of Kate Sheppard
Today there are celebrations all over New Zealand, marking the anniversary of one of the achievements that stokes the greatest pride in our country: first to recognise women’s right to vote. There are other firsts that engender less pride, like the world’s highest...