Women ‘lying’ To Beat The Abortion System — Miss... (Press, 12 July 1979)

Miss Marilyn Waring, Member of Parliament for Waipa, has revealed that a conservative estimate indicates 3,857 New Zealand women sought abortions in Australia during the year ending March 31, 1979. This figure was presented at an hour-long meeting with the Abortion Supervisory Committee, which acknowledged that the country's abortion legislation was ineffective. Waring cited data from the Sisters Overseas Service (SOS), medical practitioners, and Australian abortion clinics to support her claims. She highlighted that both women and doctors have resorted to deception to bypass restrictive laws, pointing out that women in Invercargill were able to obtain abortions by using false addresses in Christchurch. Similarly, Wellington residents were using addresses in Hutt to secure abortions. Waring expressed doubt that the committee would recommend any significant legal changes, despite their recognition of systemic failures. Waring was asked to address the committee after previously citing problems within the abortion system. She presented materials, including a survey of doctors' attitudes towards abortion criteria and case histories of women seeking abortions. However, the committee deemed her contributions largely irrelevant to its jurisdiction. According to Waring, the number of women travelling to Australia for abortions starkly contrasts with the 2,466 abortions performed in New Zealand between March 1, 1976, and April 1, 1979. She noted that these figures may be understated, as they were based solely on known referrals. She further suggested that many women travelled without medical referral, asserting that the Australian clinics reported that New Zealand women frequently arrived unassisted. The current abortion system has caused significant distress for many women, with Waring estimating that around $2 million annually is lost as a result of this situation. She also provided evidence that over 100 women had to travel 200 miles or more to access abortion services in New Zealand. Alarmingly, 56 per cent of abortion facilities did not offer any counselling services, and there was a considerable discrepancy in doctors' opinions on appropriate criteria for abortions. Waring stated her intention to distribute her findings to fellow parliamentarians, emphasising the need for legislative action. However, she noted that the committee was more focused on political implications rather than on the legal aspects of the issue. While the committee acknowledged her material as "interesting", they suggested that a future report to Parliament on the abortion legislation was unlikely to happen soon. Waring encouraged the committee to reach out to Australian clinics for further information on the number of women travelling for abortions, although the committee declined to do so.

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