Abortion Legislation Bill debate begins in Parliament
The debate over the Abortion Legislation Bill has begun in Parliament.
Minister of Justice Andrew Little. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Political parties won't vote as a block, but MPs will vote as individuals according to their conscience.
The Bill would remove abortion from the Crimes Act and instead treat it as a health issue; after 20 weeks women would require a medical test to access an abortion.
Justice Minister Andrew Little told Parliament the primary objective of the legislation is to shift abortion away from the crimimal regime.
He said he was acutely aware of the various deeply held political, personal and faith based views of MPs, who would soon be called upon to cast their vote.
Watch the debate on Parliament TV here: