Extra test for abortions past 20 weeks

Stuff reports:

The legal tests for abortions after 20 weeks has been made more restrictive in the proposed abortion legalisation bill. …

Originally this test would just be that a doctor believed it was necessary to preserve the wellbeing of the mother. Under the new test that medical practitioner would have to consult another medical practitioner.

So for the very few abortions after 20 weeks, the process is not much changed from the status quo. The big change is for abortions before 20 weeks, where there will be no hoops to jump through anymore, which is good.

Other areas of the bill came through with minor changes, such as safe zones outside clinics where protest could be banned and conscientious objection measures. …

I’m against so called safe zones, or no protest zones. I don’t like people who protest outside abortion protesters but they should be allowed to do so.

There was a push by Green MP Jan Logie to change the term “women” in the bill to “pregnant person”.

A terrible blow against all the pregnant men out there.

NZ First have now predicated its support of the bill on a referendum being attached, as it was for the End of Life Choice bill. 

NZ First MP Darroch Ball has filed an amendment to this effect but it is unlikely to pass as the vast majority of the House do not believe a referendum should be used.

There will not be a referendum.