Three day wait before abortion - saves lives!

Media Release 2 August 2023

Right to Life encourages the next Parliament to pass an amendment to the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 that will provide a waiting period of three days between the first consultation and the abortion.

A review of the Irish abortion laws commenced in December 2022 revealed that 3,951 women did not return for a second consultation after the three-day mandatory waiting period had passed.

Thousands of women had decided to have their babies. There are now thousands of babies who are alive today because their mother had time to reflect and seek help. This time of reflection may have saved a lifetime of regret, sorrow and pain from the loss of their child. How many thousands of New Zealanders would be alive today if our Parliament had legislated for a three-day waiting period?

There are 14 countries including Ireland in Europe and 9 other nations that have a mandatory waiting period between the first consultation and the abortion appointment. There are also 27 of the 50 States in the USA which have a mandatory waiting period before the women proceeds to the abortion appointment.

Right to Life is aware that the Labour/Green government is opposed to mandatory waiting periods which delay or postpone the killing of the unborn child. We believe that the killing of the “unwanted” child is the government’s preferred option, and to minimise the risk of women changing her minds, there should be no delay in effecting this objective. For this reason, the government’s intention is, wherever possible, to have counselling for the expectant woman and her abortion to take place on the same day, in order to prevent her from changing her mind.

The government does not promote parenting, fostering or adoption as options to abortion, but it has unlimited funding for abortion and no waiting lists.

This is the face of the war on women and their precious unborn children, there is no place for mandatory waiting periods to prevent abortion in this unrelenting war.

Right to Life is committed to relentlessly campaign for the abortion law to be amended to protect mothers and their babies with a mandatory 3 day waiting period after the mothers first consultation with a doctor, so that she can think about the decision she has made.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.