New Zealand Abortion Rates Drop to 20-Year Low; Pro-Life Groups Hail News
Pro-life groups are praising the latest abortion statistics in New Zealand where the abortion rate is at a 20-year low. Right to Life New Zealand says that there is increased public awareness that "abortion is murder" and that the country is "rejecting a culture of death."
"There is also an increasing awareness that abortion damages women's health with an increased risk of breast cancer, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, grief, anger, regret and increased depression," the pro-life group wrote.
"Right to Life commends those brave and courageous women who when faced with an unplanned pregnancy chose life for their child. These are truly heroic women who deserve our admiration and support. Right to Life also commends the majority of the medical profession who faithful to the Declaration of Geneva have sworn to maintain the greatest respect for human life."
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Statistics New Zealand reported on Wednesday that a total of 14,073 induced abortions were performed in New Zealand in 2013, which is 672 fewer than in 2012.
What is more, the general abortion rate decreased from 16.1 per 1,000 in 2012 to 15.4 in 2013, which is the lowest it has been since 1994, when it was 15.3 per 1,000.
The website also pointed out that the lower abortion rate is down to fewer women having abortions, rather than to changes in the size or age structure of the population.
According to Right to Life, the abortion rate for women aged 15-19 years is also down from 27 per 1,000 in 2007 to 14 per 1000 in 2013.
Voice for Life applauded the news, saying, "The news that last year the total number of abortions carried out in this country decreased by approximately 700 should be welcome news for all people of goodwill."
"While Voice for Life is pleased at today's news of yet another decline in the abortion rate, we also feel a sense of great sadness and loss for the more than 14,000 human beings who were denied social justice and their fundamental human right to life last year in NZ."
Abortion Law Reform Association New Zealand President Morgan Healey said that it is hard to pinpoint the specific reasons behind the drop in abortions, NZ Herald News reported.
"Things like increased access to long acting, reversible contraception, which is making it easier for women to control their own fertility," Healey offered. "But I don't think anybody really knows."
Pro Life New Zealand spokesperson Mary-Anne Evers said while the news is positive, there are still "14,073 abortions too many."
Evers said that collecting the latest statistics on these issues is important to better understand women's needs in this area.
"In places such as Canada, where abortion has been removed from the statutes, abortion records are left to individual states, institutions, and practitioners, making accurate statistics virtually impossible," she noted.
Abortion is legal in New Zealand but restricted mostly to cases where the mother faces a danger to her life, or if there is a risk of the fetus being handicapped.
