ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa
MEDIA RELEASE
19 June 2018
 
Abortion Stats Show Rate Continues to Decrease
 
Statistics New Zealand reports 13,285 induced abortions were provided in 2017, compared with 12,823 in 2016. 

This represents a slight increase (3.6%) in the abortion rate per 1000 women aged between 15 and 44 from 13.5 in 2016 to 13.7 in 2017.

Overall, there has been little change in the profile of pregnant people accessing abortion: most abortions (64%) were a woman's first; most women who have abortions are already parents (57%); and women aged 20-24 years have the highest abortion rate, although the median age has risen in the last decade from 24.5 years in 2007 to 27.1 years in 2017. These reflect international trends in abortion more broadly. 

The statistics also show a marginal improvement in the number of abortions performed before the 10th week of pregnancy, up 2 percentage points to 59% in 2017. However, by international standards this is still very low, and highlights the need to decrease barriers to accessing abortion in a timely manner. 

The Ministry of Justice, Andrew Little, has asked the New Zealand Law Commission to review the country’s abortion laws with the intention of treating abortion as a health matter rather than a criminal matter. During the election campaign, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised to reform New Zealand’s abortion laws, making abortion care available as a matter of right.

ALRANZ wants to reform New Zealand’s laws around abortion. Under New Zealand’s abortion laws, two certifying consultants must approve every abortion under a narrow set of grounds set out in the Crimes Act. Those grounds do not include rape, nor the most common reasons cited overseas: contraception failure and the inability to support a child.

Poll results show a majority of New Zealanders support the right to access abortion on request.

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