Abortion Law Reform Association Of New Zealand (ALRANZ) National President Dr Margaret Sparrow

Judith Collin's revised proposal which has doctors filling out a form to send to the Family Court is no improvement on the original proposal requiring girls under 16 to apply to a judge for permission to have an abortion when parents are not informed.

Both proposals are unnecessary.

The notion that somehow not informing parents may lead to the perpetuation of criminal activity is just not true.

Under the present law the referring doctor, the two certifying consultants and the counsellor are all able and do refer to the relevant authorities when care and protection are required.

Dr Margaret Sparrow

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>