Editorial: Abortion reality check overdue

A landmark High Court ruling questioning the legality of thousands of abortions has re-confirmed something that has been obvious for at least 10, probably 20 years, The Dominion Post writes.

The Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act is not being administered in the way intended by the legislators who passed it in 1977.

In the words of former health minister Bill English, speaking 10 years ago, New Zealand has "the paraphernalia of restricted abortion, but pretty much the reality of abortion on demand".

In a ruling issued last week, Justice Forrest Miller expressed "powerful misgivings" about the lawfulness of many abortions.

His misgivings were based on statistics showing more than 99 per cent of requests for abortions are approved and the concerns of successive abortion supervisory committees which have repeatedly called for an update of a law initially intended to discourage abortion.

But, more important than whether an unwieldy law is being adhered to, is whether New Zealand is doing all it can do to reduce the roughly 18,000 abortions that are performed each year.

The answer is a resounding no. For years supervisory committees have urged governments to adopt strategies to reduce unwanted pregnancies and for years governments have done nothing.

As far back as 1994, the committee recommended New Zealand follow the example of the Netherlands - improve sex education in schools and make contraception more freely and cheaply available. At the time, the abortion rate in New Zealand was 14.4 per 1000 women aged between 15 and 44. The rate in the Netherlands was 5.1. In 2006, the last year for which figures are available, the rate in New Zealand was 19.6. The rate in the Netherlands was 8.6.

The figures are an indictment on all politicians, whether they believe women have a right to choose or whether they believe unborn children have a right to life.

Abortion is an emotive issue that divides families and voters. Aware of that, the major political parties have decided it is an issue best shied away from. But by doing so they have contributed to thousands of extra unwanted pregnancies every year.

The lessons of the Netherlands are clear. The lower abortion rate in that country is not a result of Dutch parents and teachers preaching the virtues of sexual abstinence or ignoring the subject altogether. It is a result of Dutch schools delivering frank sex education programmes and Dutch authorities ensuring that contraception is readily available. From an early age Dutch youngsters know the risks of sex and how to reduce those risks.

It is understandable that some parents quail at the thought of their little darlings being taught about the birds and the bees and instructed in the use of condoms and the pill. But surely that is preferable to those same children coming home and declaring to mummy and daddy that they are pregnant.

Politicians, whether pro-choice or pro-life, should take the practical steps that are available to reduce the abortion rate. By not doing so, both sides of the debate bear a measure of responsibility for New Zealand's needlessly high abortion rate.

- © Fairfax NZ News