What does the Roe v Wade overturning mean for New Zealand?
It has been almost three weeks since the small brains of five judges overturned a 50-year-old rule that legalized abortion in the United States. Eight states have now outlawed abortion as a result of the court’s decision, and many others are expected to follow suit in the upcoming weeks.
Although the overturning of Roe v Wade only affects the fundamental rights of uterus-havers residing in the U.S., the shockwaves have been felt all across the globe. Here in New Zealand, there have been protests, political controversies and serious discussions as to the safety of our fellow Americans, however Green Party MP Jan Logie warns that “we cannot be complacent”.
Whilst the majority of New Zealand political parties voted in favour of the 2020 Abortion Legislation Act and ultimately overruled its criminalization, it is still not guaranteed that our reproductive rights are wholly invincible.
National Leader Christopher Luxon says “I have a pro-life stance,” and agrees that abortion is tantamount to murder, whilst National MP Simon O’Connor posted that the day of the overturning was “a good day”. This is not the first time the National Party has spoken out against women’s rights.
The third and final hearing for New Zealand’s 2020 Abortion Legislation Act saw 89 per cent of the National Party voting no, making themselves the only party who had more votes against the proposed bill than for it.
Despite Luxon’s assurance that Kiwi abortion laws will not change if National wins next year’s election (which recent polling suggests will happen), many people are still worried that the party’s predisposition to the anti-abortion movement will still negatively impact our current system if elected.
The Green Party expressed this in a tweet which read, “Nats saying they ‘won’t revisit Abortion law’ doesn’t cover critical rights like Safe Zones around practitioners, Family Planning funding & medical abortion availability from GPs / Midwives. (It also doesn’t stop a conservative caucus backing members bills to overturn it all.)”
Gina Robinson, a U.S. citizen based in New Zealand says, “The overturning of Roe v Wade is absolutely a reminder to all of us that we can’t take any of our rights and freedoms for granted, because they can always be taken from us if we don’t appreciate them and aren’t prepared to stand up for them. Sadly, America is becoming an example to the world of what NOT to do.”
“This is an issue that people are probably willing to die for, and I can see it becoming violent. And there’s no doubt people are going to die.”
New Zealand’s collective fury towards the Supreme Court has thankfully not yet resulted in violence, and has instead only instigated a series of protests around the country.
2 July saw a mass gathering of around 500 pro-choice activists in Wellington’s Civic Square, before they marched towards the U.S. Embassy in Thorndon. Auckland has also seen large groups protesting the Supreme Court’s decision outside the U.S. Consulate. They were also protesting the resignation of MP Simon O’Connor after his outrageous Facebook post.
Wellington protestor Ashlyn Parker says, “A lot of people think that protesting in a country so far away from those directly affected is useless, but honestly, I’m proud to be doing it. Everybody should stand up for what they believe in, and movements like these are what ignites change. We have to keep talking about it. We have to keep acting. We can’t let ourselves be silenced or else nothing will ever happen. The Supreme Court needs to know that people all over the world are rallying against them, and that their ruling will not be tolerated.”
*Disclaimer: I, the author of this article, am strongly against the criminalization of abortion and believe the Supreme Court’s decision is vile and disgusting. I therefore present my article in favour of these views. If your own stance happens to contradict mine then 1. Get a better opinion, and 2. Don’t read my article until you do.