New Zealand House Moves to Change Rules To Expand Legal Abortion Coverage
New Zealand’s parliament has moved to expand its legal abortion coverage to cover up to 20 weeks, a move that would make it the only country in the world to do so.
New Zealand is one of just three nations to have fully legalized abortion coverage in its constitution.
It was first enacted in 1988, with a three-week window.
Newspapers have been banned from publishing information about abortion coverage for two years.
The move is part of a larger push by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to reform abortion laws to include the full rights of women and provide them with more protections.
The bill, known as the Reproductive Freedom Bill, is scheduled to be debated next month.
Under the new legislation, a woman would be able to receive an abortion under a limited set of circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is in danger.
The law also allows a woman to terminate her pregnancy even if the foetus is stillborn or is still born with serious health issues.
It also allows women to be charged with a crime for having an abortion if they know they are pregnant or the fetus is still alive.
Under Arderns legislation, abortion coverage would also be allowed in cases of rape, incest or when there is an extreme risk of death or serious bodily harm to the mother or the foetuses.
New Zealand women could still be prosecuted for abortions in cases where the foat was born alive.
The country has the world’s highest abortion rate, but abortion access is often limited in areas where the government is trying to curb violence against women.
Newswatch has reported on a number of other countries that have expanded abortion coverage.
The U.K. expanded its abortion coverage from three weeks to 20 in the 1990s.
Brazil expanded it from two weeks to three weeks in 2008, and Argentina, Canada and the Netherlands expanded it to 20-week coverage.