Review of Certain Matters under the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977

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This is the first periodic Review of Certain Matters under the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977.  

The review identifies that some good progress has occurred. There is increased access to abortion services, with more providers, and an increase of locations of provision. In addition, we have Increased access to early abortion services through the telehealth services DECIDE as well as in primary health care and community settings through funded EMA medicines and clarification of funding available through the Primary Maternity Services Notice. The introduction of clinical guidelines to support clinical practice in abortion care and the Standard for Abortion Counselling in New Zealand have also been beneficial.

However, there is work to do to improve access, especially for women seeking abortion health care who live in rural communities and who require surgical or follow-up health care. Cost, service consistency and access to counselling services also vary greatly across regions. 

Scope of the review

The scope of the review is set in the legislation and is focused on how the current law is working. This means that:

• the review examines whether there is timely and equitable access to contraception services, sterilisation services and abortion services, including information and advisory and counselling services in relation to abortion services
• the review includes consideration of the relative costs throughout New Zealand for people accessing those services
• the review will not consider the rules regarding eligibility for access to these services, or their status as publicly funded health services.

Under the legislation, the review must also include consideration of whether there is any evidence of abortions being sought solely because of a preference for the fetus to be of a particular sex.

Related publications

These reports were commissioned to help inform the review.

• Abortion Is a Human Right and Health Issue: Disabled people’s experiences of abortion services in Aotearoa New Zealand – This research report focuses on the experiences of disabled people and provides insights into how abortion health care services are perceived and accessed by this group since changes to the law in 2020.
• Abortion Services in Aotearoa New Zealand: The voices of wāhine on improving access – This research report focuses on the experiences of Māori and Pacific peoples and provides insights into how abortion health care services are perceived and accessed by this group since changes to the law in 2020.
• ‘It Just Adds Another Layer of Stress’: Rainbow people’s experiences of abortion services in Aotearoa – This research report focuses on the experiences of rainbow people and provides insights into how abortion health care services are perceived and accessed by this group since changes to the law in 2020.