WELLINGTON - New Zealand plans to decriminalise abortion and treat it is as a health issue, the government said on Monday in the first major reform to abortion laws in more than four decades that some activists said fell short of expectations.
"Abortion is the only medical procedure that is still a crime in New Zealand. It's time for this to change," Justice Minister Andrew Little said in a statement. The grounds on which abortion can be approved by the doctors are narrow and do not include reasons such as rape or the inability to support a child, activists have said.
The legislation would allow for the creation of safe areas around specific abortion facilities to protect women from intimidation or harassment from anti-abortion activists.
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