Abortion Statistics In New Zealand

Words: 2355
Pages: 10

-------------------------------------------------
Abortion Statistics In New Zealand
-------------------------------------------------
as of December 2011
-------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------
Key facts
In the year ended December 2011: * 15,863 abortions were performed in New Zealand, the lowest number since 1999 (15,501). * The general abortion rate was 17.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years, down from 18.1 per 1,000 in 2010. * Women aged 20–24 years had the highest abortion rate (33 abortions per 1,000 women aged 20–24 years). * The median age of women having an abortion was 25 years. * Most abortions (62 percent) were a woman's first

-------------------------------------------------
Current Parliamentary status of abortion debate
In the most recent (49th New Zealand Parliament, 2008–2011) New Zealand parliamentary vote on the composition of the Abortion Supervisory Committee (7 April 2011), anti-abortion Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia moved that an anti-abortion Pacific Island doctor, Dr Ate Moala, be appointed to the ASC. The resultant vote was 70–30 against Ms Turia's motion, with twenty absences or abstentions. Altogether, twenty six National Party MPs and four Maori Party MPs voted for the addition of Dr Moala, while all Labour and ACT MPs and several National Party MPs as well as Independents Chris Carter and Hone Harawira, and United Future MP Peter Dunne voted against the motion, which was lost In 1999 the late Graeme White was found guilty and jailed for tunneling into an abortion clinic in a failed attempt to blow it up. White later drowned. -------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------
Mifepristone/Mifegyne and introduction of medical abortion: 2003– In April 2003 Justice Durie clarified parts of the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977 relating to "performing" medical abortions so women who wish to have medical abortions must take medications in a licensed facility