Abortion Legislation Act 2020
The Abortion Legislation Act 2020 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand allowing unrestricted access to abortion within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, and repealing sections of the Crimes Act 1961 related to unlawful abortion. After the 20-week period, women seeking an abortion must consult a qualified health practitioner who will assess their physical health, mental health, and well-being. The Act also provides provisions for conscientious objection rights for medical practitioners and exempts abortion services from certain Crimes Act provisions, while extending the definition of health services to include abortion services under the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994.
| Abortion Legislation Act 2020 | |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Parliament | |
| Royal assent | 23 March 2020 |
| Commenced | 24 March 2020 |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Andrew Little |
| First reading | 8 August 2019 |
| Second reading | 3 March 2020 |
| Third reading | 18 March 2020 |
| Related legislation | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
Elective abortion care had been available for several decades in New Zealand before this Act was passed, but women had to maintain a fiction that they were suffering from mental illness in order to get an abortion.
The Act received cross-party support, with members of Parliament from the governing Labour Party, the Green Party, and New Zealand First largely voting in favour of the bill, while members from the opposition National Party were allowed a conscience vote, leading to a substantial majority of 68–51 in its favour at the third reading.