Ministry of Health reviews Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act, makes recommendations

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has published the first periodic review of the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977, in which it has posited several recommendations to ensure “timely and equitable access,” particularly to abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy, but also to contraception and sterilisation.

Understanding the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act

When the Abortion Legislation Act was passed in 2020, amendments were necessarily made to the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act, 1977 (CS&A Act).  It is the principal legislation in New governing these matters in New Zealand law.   One of those changes requires the Director General of Health to review the CS&A Act every five years.  The first review was published in April 2025.

Given Royal Assent on 16 December 1977, the legislation sets out how abortion, contraception, and sterilisation may be accessed lawfully in New Zealand.  It has undergone several revisions over the almost fifty years of its existence.

Many pro-life advocates will focus solely on the outcomes of the section on abortion, believing that contraception and sterilisation are a matter of personal preference or conscience or beneficial to curtail the evil of abortion.  However, the “contraceptive mentality” has contributed gravely to the acceptance of abortion in society.  

In Evangelium Vitae, St John Paul II points out how closely connected they are, stating, “despite their differences of nature and moral gravity, contraception and abortion are often closely connected, as fruits of the same tree.” (§13)  Those who drafted the legislation saw the connection; we would be wise also to take note and to provide a vision alongside practical solutions to assist people to embrace life.

Concerns and challenges in the review for pro-life advocates

The paper is comprehensive, especially when it comes to the provision of abortion.  It is heavily biased toward these matters being “health care” and benefiting women.  It raises topics of concern for those working to defend life, marriage, and family, giving an indication of the trajectory we are heading.

Some of these concerns include:

Narrowing of freedom of conscience

Often referred to as “conscientious objection,” freedom of conscience issues regarding contraception, sterilisation, and abortion are at the forefront for individuals working in this field.  Professionals should be able to practice their area of expertise in medicine, serving the individuals in their care within a strong ethical framework.

Being led by an ethical point of view is problematic for those within the healthcare system who are led by strong ideology.  Not only are individuals targeted as “barriers to service”, but organisations and hospitals are as well.

It is inferred within the review that those hospitals that do not currently provide abortion on their premises will be required to do so in time.  One example is in the text discussing later surgical abortion, in which it is noted that “the Ministry is aware of some hospitals declining to provide this service even though willing practitioners are reportedly available.”

A group of people who are not currently governed by the requirements of the CS&A Act but are singled out in the review are administrative staff.  In the future, restrictions on their freedom of conscience, such as those imposed on medical practitioners, may be implemented.

A focus on people with disability

People who live with a disability are vulnerable to the decisions of others.  Often reliant on the advice and decisions of caregivers, there is a very real danger that these individuals are coerced or forced to undergo procedures and take contraceptives without freedom and without informed consent.  These dangers are particularly prevalent for individuals who experience difficulties with communication, including listening, comprehension, and speaking, as well as those with significant intellectual impairments.

Currently, reporting is optional, and the data is scarce, so it is impossible to paint a clear picture of how many women and men of child-bearing age who have a disability are having procedures they do not consent to.

Although the review concludes that these difficulties should lead to more accessible information, a pro-life view would be to ensure these people are protected and not exposed to chemicals that are harmful to them or made to undergo abortion or sterilisation procedures, all of which are physically and spiritually harmful.

Veiled eugenics

The modern-day reproductive and sexual health movement came out of a eugenic mindset.  Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood in the United States, is one of the most well-known eugenicists.  This fact is so well known that in 2021, Planned Parenthood released a statement denouncing her racist and eugenic mindset.

This mindset has permeated (even unknowingly) among those who believe in an unfettered right to contraception, sterilisation, and abortion.

As mentioned above, those who are disabled are easy targets; however, so are those who come from a lower socio-economic background, who are from the Pacific, or who are Maori. 

Of concern in the review is the desire to remove questions from the required sterilisation reporting that identify the race of patients.  Also being removed is information about the person’s relationship status and the number of children they have.  All of this information is necessary to understand who is being sterilised.

Information and advisory services

Countering “misinformation” regarding abortion is a concern for the Ministry.  Highlighted is the growing number of pregnancy centres and helplines of varying kinds throughout New Zealand.  There is an undercurrent of concern about the existence of these vitally important services which assist women in making truly informed choices.

Pregnancy help centres and other similar outreaches are a real threat to those who believe abortion is a “right”.  Although accused of spreading misinformation, the reality is that these organisations look at a woman’s situation holistically, ensuring she knows all the practical and emotional assistance available to her.  Pregnancy advocates also give information about the development of her pre-born child (nearly always omitted by those advocating in favour of abortion), along with the very real risks to her physically and psychologically, both in the short and long term. 

The review laments that the CS&A Act does not bind advocates within these organisations, meaning they are not bound by professional standards or regulations.  However, pregnancy advocates at FLI’s Gianna’s Choice Pregnancy Options and Support and and Saint Gianna’s Home staff and volunteers are held to the professional and ethical standards formulated by Heartbeat International.  These standards hold individuals accountable and guide best practices.

Greater expansion of abortion

Abortion is considered health care within the New Zealand system.  As such, expect over time increased funding, further training opportunities for medical personnel, and stricter requirements for medical facilities to participate, particularly in rural areas where women may need to travel further, currently.

More than 1,000 surgical abortions took place in 2024 between 13 to 26 weeks gestation; these accounted for 71% of all induced abortions in the second trimester.  The review noted that those prepared to carry out these abortions are small in number but “dedicated.”  It then lamented the worker’s lack of “support it would gain from a nationally consistent approach and direction, along with a clear training pathway.”

Outcome and recommendations of the review

The paper is comprehensive, particularly when it comes to the provision of abortion.  It presents a path forward alongside several recommendations.

A “five-year work plan” will be implemented, developing regulations and monitoring while addressing gaps.  Some specific areas the work plan will focus on are listed in the review (pg 54).  These are:

• Improving data collection and reporting
• Setting expectations for service delivery
• Improving information for the public and health practitioners
• Conducting targeted monitoring into specific areas requiring improvement (e.g. abortion counselling, workforce)
• Monitoring Health New Zealand to ensure that it actions the recommendations … and that abortion health care remains a part of its work plan and service delivery expectations.

The Ministry of Health recommended to Health New Zealand that “gaps in the availability of the services” be addressed and that it be clear for people to know how to access them.  They have also been asked to collaborate with the Ministry for “monitoring and oversight of contraception and sterilisation services.”

Further, it has been recommended that the abortion clinical guideline be updated, increase training and recruitment of abortion workers, ensuring “timely and equitable access,” alongside funding and developing a “national pathway.”

Conclusion: A wake-up call for the ‘people of life’

The Ministry of Health’s review of the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act is a sobering insight into the direction New Zealand is heading as abortion is normalised in our health care system, just as contraception and sterilisation have already been.

Pro-life advocates must not be content to oppose abortion in isolation. Clearly, those who drafted the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act understood the connection.  This review underscores how true that connection remains.

Now is the time to redouble our efforts to build a culture that welcomes life. We must:

• Protect freedom of conscience for all healthcare workers and institutions who do not wish to participate in offering contraception, sterilisation and abortion but who would rather point to alternatives that lead to true human flourishing.
• Uphold the dignity of people with disabilities, ensuring they are never subject to coercion or quiet discrimination.
• Defend the rights of parents and families, who are increasingly pushed aside by state-led ideologies.
• Supporting life-affirming pregnancy centres, which offer hope, practical support, and accurate information about induced abortion and the alternatives.

Let this review serve as a wake-up call—not only to resist the further expansion of abortion, contraception and direct sterilisation – but to recommit ourselves to proclaiming the Gospel of Life with clarity and love.