WELLINGTON – Margaret Sparrow was 21 years old when she drank a concoction to induce an abortion, at a time when the procedure was both illegal and socially unacceptable in New Zealand.
Now age 84, Sparrow was delighted Wednesday when lawmakers passed a landmark bill that treats the procedure as a health issue rather than a crime. “It's been a long time coming,” said Sparrow, a doctor who has spent her life advocating for the reproductive rights of women.
While views about abortions have generally become much more liberal in New Zealand since Sparrow's experience, the law, while updated in 1977, had not fully reflected that change.
Read more on clickorlando.com