MEDIA RELEASES
Still No Self-referral at Timaru Abortion Service
Over a year after the passage of the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 made it illegal to require people to have a doctor’s referral in order to receive abortion care, South Canterbury DHB’s Timaru service still does not allow pregnant people to self-refer. Timaru’s...
50th Anniversary of ALRANZ’s 1st AGM
Today marks the 50th anniversary of ALRANZ’s first AGM on 17 March 1971. 2020 Senior New Zealander of the Year and former ALRANZ President Dame Margaret Sparrow reflected, “This day calls to mind how much has changed, and how long it took to change it.” She continued,...
ALRANZ Asks DIA Not to Fund Anti-Abortion Centres with COGS
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa has asked the Department of Internal Affairs (“DIA”) to take steps to ensure that anti-abortion ‘counselling’ centres that purport to provide pre- and post-abortion counselling do not receive COGS funding outside the rules for COGS...
ALRANZ: NZ Needs Safe Areas
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa welcomes the first reading of Louisa Wall’s member’s bill, the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Bill 2020. First reading is expected to occur today. “ALRANZ supports the creation of safe areas, but we...
ALRANZ Congratulates Argentina
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa congratulates the people of Argentina for a successful conclusion to their fight for legal abortion. Abortion will be legal in Argentina up to 14 weeks gestation. Argentina is now the most populous nation in Latin America to legalise...
Abortion Care: Equity Not Improving Fast Enough
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa notes with disappointment that the Ministry of Health survey shows improvements to abortion care have not reached all DHBs. While delays for early medical and surgical abortions have shortened in some DHBs, others still do not offer...
ALRANZ Denounces US Senate Confirmation of Judge Barrett
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa denounces the US Senate’s confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court seat formerly held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. “This action demonstrates the rank hypocrisy of the once-respected upper chamber of the US...
Refusal to Provide Contraception Stigmatises Users
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa sadly welcomes the results of Family Planning’s survey of contraception users, which shows 5% experience health practitioners obstructing their access to contraception. “It’s maddening that in 2020 people still have to deal with the...
ALRANZ Deplores National MPs’ Abortion Myths
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa deplores the statements of National MPs Harete Hipango and Simon O’Conner on Facebook, alleging New Zealand’s reformed abortion legislation allows full term babies to be aborted. “What they are saying is wrong on so many levels,” said...
Final Abortion Statistics from Stats NZ
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa welcomes Stats NZ’s final report on abortion statistics, for the year ending December 2019. In future this data will be collected and presented by the Ministry of Health, in keeping with the recognition that abortion care is a health...