WOMEN NEED TO BE CONSULTED ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION

A Parliament Select Committee report suggesting that one’s biological sex should be a matter of personal choice (self-ID) is problematic says a group launched today, Speak Up For Women New Zealand (SU4WNZ).

“Proposed changes to the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Act 1995 (BDMRRA) could represent the biggest threat to women’s legal rights in a generation,” says spokesperson, Georgina Blackmore.

“The proposed changes indicated in the Select Committee report were prompted by a petition of transgender activist Allyson Hamblett and only 53 others.

“The process has been undemocratic – the proposed changes were not included in the legislation when it was introduced to Parliament, and were not the subject of public consultation.

“The Governance and Administration Select Committee is clearly out of touch when a petition started only five days ago, calling for Government consultation on these proposals, has already attracted nearly 600 signatures.

“Our concern is that the changes haven’t been thought through and there will be serious unintended consequences.

“The proposed changes enable existing sex-based protections for women to be undermined as well as the integrity of data gathering and monitoring.

“We urge that our elected members of Parliament seriously consider the consequences of the decision they are being asked to make, listen to groups such as ours and ensure that the rights of women are enshrined in law not forfeited.

“After all, it is 2018, 125 years since the Suffragists won their fight for the rights of the female sex to vote,” says Ms Blackmore.

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