SpeechHon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn): Thank you Mr Speaker. I have listened with interest to the debate on the Abortion Legislation Bill throughout the afternoon and I found it one of the better and more useful debates in my time in Parliament. I'm in the interesting position where there hasn't been a speech I don't think this afternoon that I haven't found aspects of that I agree with. I concur with the member who's just resumed her seat the Hon Tracey Martin that I think the select committee has a wide range already of valuable and valid issues to address as this law works its way through.There's no doubt that abortion law reform is probably one of the most difficult the most emotional and the most divisive issues that we as a Parliament and as parliamentarians will have to address. Yet I have a strong view that we should not for one minute shy away from that. I think we have an obligation to the people who elect us to embrace and deal with these issues to give them our open hearts and open minds and to work our way through them notwithstanding the difficulty that we will face notwithstanding the vitriol the attacks the spam the criticism and the often very emotional responses we'll get—on both sides of the debate I'm sure—from people in our electorates and across the country. But we do have a duty to do what is the right thing for New Zealanders and to deal with hard issues.We've heard in this House this afternoon already that this law has been in place since the 1970s untouched. When the law was put in place there were only four women members of Parliament. We have a very different understanding of the rights of women in our society today. We have a very different view about the autonomy of women to make decisions for themselves and their own bodies. I will always stand strongly for the rights of women to control their own reproductive system.We have a long history in the world of States predominantly male-led over history—it's certainly not the case now and I support David Seymour's position that this is certainly not an issue that only women can have a voice on. But we have a long history of women's reproductive systems being subject to the control of the State of laws and of men. We do have to say that women should be trusted to make the decisions that are right for them for their families and for their bodies. I do not accept laws which work on the fallacy that somehow women are these fickle creatures who won't make good careful thoughtful decisions and I do not accept the argument that somehow if we change the abortion laws women are going to be waiting till much later in their pregnancies using this as some form of contraceptive and treating this with anything less than the incredibly fulsome attention in recognising it as one of the most difficult decisions they will make in their life as they do now.Not only do I not think this bill will lead to a flurry of late-term abortions; I think this bill will lead to women getting the help they need sooner with less trauma and in a way that is far less difficult for them to go through. I think women are not served well by the current law. I don't agree with the comments we've heard in the House today that there's no problem to solve and that this is just a process tidy-up. Women are missing out on the support and the help that they need—not in every case but I certainly have heard enough stories both from constituents from emails and from people I know to know that the law has been failing some women. I agree with the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General when they said women currently are put into the position of having to lie and create fictions and rely on some issue of mental instability to get the help they need and that is not okay. No woman should be compelled to continue with a pregnancy that isn't right for her and I don't believe as lawmakers it's our job to set out exactly what medical assistance is right for which women in which time. I think we have to trust women. I think we have to respect that women know very well how difficult these issues are and that they know what is right for them.I don't accept the argument that women in the majority go on to regret these decisions and in fact the studies done from the Turnaway Study tell us that that's not the case. If you want to talk about supporting women you don't force a woman to continue with a pregnancy that isn't right for her. So I will absolutely support this legislation today but having said that I do acknowledge that there are issues that have been validly raised today that I think the select committee can and should look properly at and I will go into the process with a commitment to do everything I can to make this the best law I can for New Zealand women.