The abortion question will be more publicised this year than ever before if recent events are an indication. In January this year the U.S. Supreme Court decision, making abortion virtually a woman's right, hit the headlines. Then we read that a number of French doctors had signed a manifesto in February for the "freedom of abortion".

Penalties for illegal abortions in France are up to ten years imprisonment. In New Zealand the penalties are even worse : the maximum imprisonment is fourteen years. As our laws stand now no woman can have her pregnancy terminated unless her life is in danger. To quote the N.Z. Criminal Code "Where the act is in good faith to preserve the life of the mother". This does not even allow for cases of rape, incest, foetal deformity or even for under sixteen year olds and women who are mentally Unfit to have children.

Back Street Abortions

However, some doctors do interpret the law liberally and will authorise legal abortions. Women who find these doctors are fortunate. Those who don't and are determined to have an abortion at any cost must resort to illegal abortions. These are dangerous and often expensive. The alternative to abortion is carrying the pregnancy to term and having the baby adopted. But it is obvious that many women prefer to risk their lives with a back-street abortionist than to go through with an unwanted pregnancy.

Is there a demand for abortion in N.Z.? W.A.P. Facer in an article "Criminal Abortion in New Zealand" (Law Journal No. 15), estimates that on the basis of the annual average number of admissions between 1964 and 1968 of women requiring public hospital treatment for abortions that there may be about 3,000 criminal abortion cases a year. In the same article are the results of a nation-wide survey carried out in January 1972 by the National Research Bureau. In one section of the interview 1,200 women were asked to record any attempted and successful abortion. If, according to the results, the figures for successful abortions are projected on to the female population aged 15 and over then the estimated total figure is much larger. There would be about 6,500 successful illegal abortions annually in New Zealand, nearly three quarters of which are being sought and obtained by married women. The survey also showed 65.2% of women in favour of abortion where the mothers health was endangered by the pregnancy.

But do we need to quote surveys and statistics to fully justify the demand to repeal the abortion laws? They add weight to any argument but surely it is only right that a woman should be able to control her own reproductive life. The present abortion laws blatantly deny this.

Fear and Ignorance

Abortion is not the only means of birth control women have difficulty in obtaining. The safest contraceptives e.g. the pill, are too costly for many. Women who need contraceptives are often too scared to approach a doctor and there are page 5 always doctors who moralise or even refuse. All contraceptives should be made easily available to anyone wanting them. Sex education should begin at an early age since many unwanted pregnancies occur through ignorance of how to prevent conception.

Abortion cannot be isolated from other birth control measures. In October 1972 the British Government was forced to consider providing free contraceptives to everyone in the country to overcome the sharp increases of pregnancies in young women. This was after British abortion laws had been liberalised. If unwanted pregnancies are to decrease no method of birth control should be denied. Much misery would be eliminated with women having free access to abortion or contraception as they chose. The importance of freely available abortions can not be stressed enough. Contraception is not an answer to a woman who is already pregnant. Her only alternative is compulsory pregnancy and childbirth. Why should women be punished for accidental conception!

Law Reform Not Enough

It is not sufficient to reform the Laws. Unless the laws are repealed not every woman who wants her pregnancy terminated will be able to get an abortion. This was the case in Britain where the abortion law was reformed in 1968. Illegal abortions continued at a high rate because the refomed law did not recognise a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy if she wished.

Free Community Clinics Needed

With the recent Supreme Court ruling. U.S. laws are one of the most liberal in the world, virtually allowing abortions to be performed on demand up to the 24th week of pregnancy. However, medical fees in the States are high and many women, because of this, would not be able to take advantage of these laws. This points to the necessity of free, community clinics.

Winning the fight to repeal the abortion laws is a step towards women gaining control over their reproductive lives, which would easily be provided by the advanced technology of our society. Instead this simple, just demand has created a fury of debate and opposition from many quarters. The goals of the abortion movement are distorted and the issue confused with false philosophical and religious arguments.

There are a great many views on when human life begins. But while anyone is entitled to believe that human life begins before birth they have no right to use the laws to enforce this belief on others, forcing women to bear and raise children against their will. The anti-abortion forces seem to be more concerned with limiting the freedom of women and imposing their own moral code than with helping them.

The Women's Abortion Action Committee was formed out of a need to fight for women's basic rights, and to publicise and educate around the issue of abortion. With very limited finance two large demonstrations were organised last year by the Committee. An "arguments" leaflet was produced and a public teach-in/social evening was held. This year, since the abortion issue seems more favoured by the press, we hope to reach more people than was previously possible. As the group's name implies we are primarily an action group. We see large, broadly-based demonstrations e.g. marches and rallies, representative of as many groups and individuals as possible, as being one of the most effective ways to publicly show the support for our aims.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling is a tremendous step forward and we must ensure that the archaic N.Z. laws keep abreast of international rulings.

Demonstrate on April 13th to Repeal the Abortion Laws. Organising is underway for the march and rally, our first major activity this year. If you think the laws are unjust and want to do something about them come and help every Wednesday night 8.00 Activities Room.

Jacqueline McCluggage