Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has released a report on the state of women’s health in the UK. The report calls for the NHS to take a strategic approach to prevent disease and promote wellness across people’s lifespans.
ALRANZ notes the report recommends measures the NZ Ministry of Health should consider when implementing new abortion law reform legislation, should it pass.
“The report notes that controlling one’s own fertility is a key factor in promoting good health. It calls for easy access to contraception, abortion, and fertility treatment so that pregnancy occurs if and when someone wishes to be pregnant,” said ALRANZ National president, Terry Bellamak.
“The report calls for emergency contraception and oral contraception to be made available on pharmacy store shelves for purchase, and for free over the counter, with no random pharmacist consultation. That sounds like a good start.”
With respect to abortion, the report calls upon the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) to make teaching abortion skills part of its core curriculum. ALRANZ believes the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) should follow RCOG’s lead.
“The report recommends a telemedicine service for assessment of those who wish to receive early medical abortions, with the drugs made available at local pharmacies. It also recommends patients be allowed to take both sets of pills at home. This would be a huge benefit in New Zealand because of the long distances people in remote areas need to travel to access health care. Distance is a huge driver of inequity in our current system. We hope the Ministry of Health takes up the idea,” said Bellamak
“We note the report also calls for people to able to access abortion without harassment. Current proposals in the Abortion Legislation Bill around establishing safe areas are ridiculously cumbersome, because they require a separate Order in Council for every clinic that needs protection. Which, let’s face it, is all of them.
“We hope the Abortion Legislation Select Committee and the Ministry of Health consider the report carefully.”
In New Zealand, abortion is still in the Crimes Act.
ALRANZ wants to reform New Zealand’s laws around abortion. Under New Zealand’s abortion laws, two certifying consultants must approve every abortion under a narrow set of grounds set out in the Crimes Act. Those grounds do not include rape, nor the most common reasons cited overseas: contraception failure and the inability to support a child.
Poll results show a majority of New Zealanders support the right to access abortion on request.