Larry Williams Drive

Tears welled in the eyes of Labour MPs Jamie Strange and Rino Tirikatene as they spoke of how their respective mothers were urged to have abortions while pregnant with them.The pair were defending their decisions in 2020 to vote against decriminalising abortion in Aotearoa, explaining how personal those decisions were for different people.They were two of nine Labour MPs who voted against the bill - 37 voted in favour - which passed by a narrow margin in Parliament of 68 to 51.The strength of laws securing the right to safe and equitable access to abortions in New Zealand has come under scrutiny after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and the constitutional right there, allowing states to ban abortions - over half have indicated they will do so.The ability for politicians to speak freely on the subject here, traditionally treated as a "conscience" vote allowing them to take individual stances as opposed to following a party line, has also come into question.National MP Simon O'Connor was forced by le