New Zealand has legalised abortion, removing the practice from the Crimes Act and liberalising access to abortion services.
The final vote on the bill passed 68 to 51, it will now head to the Governor-General for the royal assent before becoming law.
The new law liberalises abortion rules, treating the practice as a health matter rather than a criminal one.
People will now be able to access abortions from a health practitioner in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
After 20 weeks, people will still be able to accesss abortions, but only after proving to two health practitioners that an abortion is "clinically appropriate," with the regard to their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Sauce.
Bit of a disclaimer: this liberalises existing laws that have been in place since the 1960's. Abortions could be performed in New Zealand under existing legislation provided they met certain criteria, although most were performed exploiting a loophole.
Unfortunately due to some eel-like slipperiness from one of the MP's, protesters can now gather outside clinics and other facilities offering abortions unimpeded, as Parliament inadvertently voted in favour of an addition to the legislation that removed the implementation of safe zones, and there was no real legislative way to reinstate them.
Furthermore, and thank whatever deity one worships for this, it would not have gone to a referendum as per what New Zealand First wanted, unlike both the marijuana and euthanasia law reforms which are due to be voted on through public referendum in this year's general election in September.
Personally it's a bit meh from me, but it's something different to the doom and gloom of the coronavirus and economic collapse.
