Dame Margaret Sparrow has shared the grief felt around the world when the US Supreme Court overturned the abortion rights of millions of American women.
At 87, the pioneering New Zealand reproductive health physician and activist has had a long career as a women’s health advocate, campaigning for lone college students to access contraception and abortion in the 1960s and as one of the first doctors to provide the emergency contraceptive pill and to train in abortion.
“It is very disappointing to see things deteriorate,” she said. “I was very sad.”
But as the decision engulfs the world, dominates political debate in Wellington and sheds light on National’s self-described “pro-life” leader Christopher Luxon and the conservative faction within the party, Sparrow has a message for New Zealanders heading to the watch debate.
“Abortion is a very, very safe procedure and not a single death has been directly attributable to abortion procedures since we started collecting good statistics since 1980.
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“I’d like to focus more on health and the delivery of health services… we need to keep it that way.”
The legitimate debate about abortion sparked by Roe v Wade, and fears it could threaten women’s rights everywhere, has fueled New Zealand’s culture wars – Labor trying to make it a political issue and National trying to force its MPs to keep in line and bring the matter down.
No party is proposing changes to abortion rights and Luxon has committed to leave the abortion rights as they are.
David White / Stuff
Dame Margaret Sparrow says the focus must remain on the health system. (File photo)
However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that a future member will table a bill on the matter — although it would have to be passed by the National Party caucus to get into the vote. Nicola Griggs, the pro-choice spokesperson for women’s affairs, said there was “no need to repeal or revise the current law”. She was one of the national MPs on Tuesday who rejected suggestions that they had been “gagged” by their leader.
New Zealand decriminalized abortion two years ago, by 68 votes to 51. It was a vote of conscience, meaning politicians could choose how they wanted to vote and not be beaten by their party. Nanaia Mahuta and Damien O’Connor – senior Labor ministers in the cabinet – were among the nine Labor MPs who voted against changes.
Sparrow said the number of people who voted against the decriminalization of abortion worried her in 2020, but in March the bulk of MPs voted to create “safe spaces”, making it illegal for people to obstruct, harass film, deter or protest those attempting to access abortion up to 150 meters around abortion facilities.
She feared that politicians would backtrack on promises, as the justices of the US Supreme Court have done.
Labor backbencher Jaime Strange and Parliamentary Undersecretary Rino Tirikatene both said their mothers had been advised to terminate their pregnancies, so they voted against the legislation.
“Obviously I’m in favor of women’s voices, women’s health. I think it was a personal decision for me,” Tirikatene said.
Rick Bowmer/AP
People attend an abortion rights protest at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City after the Supreme Court overthrows Roe v Wade.
Labor’s Greg O’Connor said he wanted a higher abortion threshold at 20 weeks because of his disabled son.
Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki, a Labor party list member for Papakura, was one of 15 women who voted against reform. She said she supported choices but had been “consistent”.
“I’ve always voted no,” she said.
However, the Labor MPs all reiterated the government’s position and it was the policy of the Labor Party to decriminalize abortion.
dr. Bryce Edwards, a political commentator and researcher, said Luxon had legitimate questions to answer, but the matter had been resolved.
“It will dominate the debate for at least a day, [but] I don’t think it will have an impact on people’s lives in the sense that I don’t believe the public has this on the agenda as a reform issue,” he said.
But while the number of abortions is generally declining and the number of adolescent abortions is falling significantly, the debate remains political, rather than being prosecuted as a health issue.
Women’s health leader Bev Lawton (Ngāti Porou) said New Zealand had “disturbing” and prolonged maternal suicide rates – especially for Wāhine Māori – that had not changed in more than a decade.
“We’re talking about Roe v Wade and reproductive rights, but we’re not faced with the fact that we have these huge disparities in access to contraception, access to services in New Zealand — and that could be changed,” she said.
“We’ve done a pretty good job of changing laws and shifting abortion into a health issue rather than a matter of justice.”