Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 26. October 3 1977

The Gair Amendments

The Gair Amendments

On Tuesday October 11 the Abortion Bill based on the Royal Commision's report will be read in the House for the second time. This is the crucial reading; whatever comes out of the second reading will be merely rubber stamped in the third.

Several amendments are in the air. The most important one and the one that will be read first is Gair's amendments. Gair's proposal is to wipe the panel system and place the decision as to whether a woman can have an abortion or not into the hands of two financially independent doctors. It does not change the criteria on which the decision is made.

If the abortion bill is passed as amended by Gair it would be harder to get an abortion in New Zealand than it is at present, but it would be nowhere near as difficult as it would be under the panel system (which was designed to create difficulties ).

The Gair amendments do not change the criteria which demand that a woman who wants an abortion must claim that she feels that childbirth would cause her serious mental injury. No women should be forced into this position. Such a statement could be used against her in the future, for example in the law courts or when applying for a job. The decision to have a child is a persona) decision that should not be interfered with by the State.

Why is the Government so keen to restrict abortions?

Restricting abortions, and thus pushing women into the home, is part of the Governments response to the economic crisis, caused by New Zealand's over-dependent economy. Pushing women into the home in times of economic crisis serves two functions; one economic, and the other ideological.

Taking women out of the workforce (especially married women who don't receive the unemployment benefit and thus don't appear in the statistics ) hides the real nature of unemployment. Furthermore in the home the Government can use women to relieve it of its responsibilities for the care of the sick, young and aged. These chores become the responsibility of individual women. This is particularly important when the Government is cutting back on spending.

The ideological factor is the more important one. Stabilising the family has always been used as a means of stabilising societies threatened with conflict. Because women at home work alone, because they have a close relationship to private property, and because their greatest concern is with maintaining personal effects they tend to remain ideologically conservative. Thus women in the home can be used by the government to act as brakes on the thinking of their husbands and children.

Forcing women into the home is part of the Governments general policy of cutting living standards while at the same time eroding civil liberties to stifle opposition to these cuts.

"Divide and rule" is another tactic of this government. One method of "divide and rule" is to create many controversial issues at the same time to divide and thus weaken effective protest. It is essential that students see the overall plan behind the different government attacks and fight them in a concerted, united manner.

Image of a head repeated four times

—Leonie Morris

VUWSA Womens Rights Officer.