New Zealand takes steps on abortion rights

Meanwhile...in New Zealand, lawmakers have voted to decriminalize abortion.

Transcript

00:00It is time for this House to understand that women have the right to control their bodies

00:07and that this House and our lawmaking does not have the right to intervene in that.

00:13And I want to vote for this legislation in the belief that it will mean for women, finally,

00:19they won't have to face the shame, the delays, the lack of equity of access to receive a

00:25service that every woman in New Zealand is entitled to have.

00:40The main objective is to shift abortion out of the criminal legal framework that it sits

00:44in at the moment and make it a health issue for women when they are making this very difficult

00:51decision when they are confronting the decision about whether to continue with a pregnancy

00:57or not.

01:22But it is time to move that framework into the 21st century and to reflect modern values

01:27in the way many New Zealanders, most New Zealanders, live their lives, which is they do want and

01:33women do want to be able to make that decision, consult the health professional of their choice

01:38and not have to go through unnecessary barriers and most importantly not have to, in a sense,

01:46lie about their mental health state in order to make this decision.

01:52If you enjoyed this video, please like, share, and subscribe.

01:53I'll see you in the next video.

01:54Bye!