Counter Move

  1. Introduction
  2. The Situation Today
  3. How legal abortion came to New Zealand
  4. Overseas influences
  5. Media Influences
  6. Opponents of abortion get organized
  7. The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child
  8. Early expansion
  9. Capital politics
  10. First clinic licenced
  11. The tide turns
  12. Pro-abortion initiatives
  13. A crucial court decision
  14. The Status of the Unborn Child Bill
  15. Seeking urgency
  16. Counter move
  17. The Vote
  18. SPUC moves on
Within days, Marilyn Waring announced that she was bringing a Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Repeal bill into the House. It was seen as a move to retain the status quo, providing MPs with the option of opposing both Waring and Kidd bills, and then claiming they had opposed efforts to make abortions more readily available.

The CS&A Repeal bill would repeal the Act and make abortions a matter between the woman and her doctor.

MPs spoke with great passion in support of either bills. The Waring bill was voted on first, going down 20 to 57. The House then returned to the Kidd bill. There was a sense of unease among some supportive MPs, that there were no provision for exceptional circumstances such as rape, incest or foetal abnormality. Some indicated they would seek amendments once the bill went to select committee.