Why Is Abortion Considered An Ethical Issue In New Zealand?

Abortion is an ethical issue in New Zealand because there are many differing views on if it is morally right to terminate a pregnancy before normal childbirth. I will be analysing the ethical issue and the groups that are for and against abortion, these groups are Right to Life and ProLife, who oppose abortion and Abortion Law Reform Association New Zealand (ALRANZ) who support abortion. These groups views on abortion come from their varying values and beliefs. I will also be looking at the impact that the current practice of abortion has on the individual person, interpersonal a relationships and society. In New Zealand, there were 14,073 induced abortions in 2013, this is the lowest number of abortions since 1995 (13,652). In 2013, the highest

There is no legal age limit on seeking or having an abortion, this means that a woman or girl of any age can consent to an abortion or refuse to have one, as long as she is “competent” and able to really understand. Girls under 16 do not need to tell their parents or get their permission to have an abortion, if you are a teenager it is a good idea to talk to a parent or another trusted adult, as if you choose to seek an abortion, it is good to have adult support. A woman also does not need the agreement of her partner before having an abortion, as the man has no legal right to be informed of the women’s decision. Abortion services are confidential, doctors, nurses and other health workers are not allowed to give out information about you without your consent, unless they think that you are in danger. This is an ethical issue because there are issues raised from parents or guardians, not being notified if their daughter or minor they care has chosen to have an abortion, because of the consequences it can have on the minor, although there is also the issue of privacy and women having the right to make the decision themselves as it is her

Right to Life oppose abortion because they value the life of the unborn zygote, embryo or fetus, they believe that whatever stage of pregnancy that the woman is in, the unborn child's life is valuable they believe that under no circumstances should a baby be aborted. These values come from the belief that the mother and the unborn child are not the same person, the mother does not have the right to determine whether or not the unborn child should live. Right to life believe there is a culture of death in New Zealand, and they seek to promote a culture of life. Right to Life seeks to expose organisations such as Family Planning, whose agendas are to undermine the family and to freely promote the acceptance of abortion, abortifacient drugs and comprehensive sex education (Right to Life). Right to Life's objective is to work purposefully towards, the achievement of the realisable ideal of no abortions within our society. Another anti-abortion organisation is ProLife, ProLife is a movement of young people committed to building a culture of life in New Zealand. Prolife believe that abortion denies the most basic of human rights, the right to life, which is justly due to every single human being, this belief comes from the statement “He or she is a unique human being, not part of the mother any more than he or she is part of the father” (Prolife, 2014 (2). ProLife’s beliefs come from the the