Wall Louisa; Tolley AnneLOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa): Tēnā koe Madam Chair. Tēnā koutou katoa. I'd like to speak to three Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs): 471 which is in my name and also 472 and 476 in the name of the Hon Ruth Dyson. I speak to these SOPs from a place of being responsive to Lisa Lawrence who's the president of the National Council of Women; also Terry Bellamak and Dame Margaret Sparrow who obviously are champions for the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand (ALRANZ). The context of these three SOPs are that essentially we want to guarantee to women who are raped access to emergency contraception. From our perspective women in those circumstances who have been sexually violated—the proposition is that it is not only an unplanned pregnancy but it's also an unwanted pregnancy. I think people would be shocked to know that women who have been raped have gone to health practitioners and asked for emergency contraception and not received it. So that's the reality of bringing these three specific SOPs to the House. So the rationale is when a woman has been a victim of violence a victim of sexual violation of rape that actually access to emergency contraception within that context should not only be guaranteed by the State but it also should be guaranteed by whatever medical practitioner that person discloses to. Herein I guess is the most controversial aspect of my Supplementary Order Paper because in fact I do want to take away a conscientious objection for a health practitioner that has a person disclose rape. Now the reality of rape in New Zealand—we don't actually know the comprehensive numbers but based on sexual violation offences there's about 3500 a year. Some people estimate that's only 10 percent of the number of rapes that occur in New Zealand. So if a woman does go to the police and discloses sexual violation my SOP will compel the police to have a relationship with a health practitioner that they can refer that person to to ensure that they receive emergency contraception. I guess the context of the definition of emergency" contraception is really important from a Medical Council perspective about what a medical emergency is. I quote: "a sudden unforeseen injury illness or complication demanding immediate or early professional care to save life or prevent gross disability pain or distress. The immediate responsibility of the doctor faced with or called to an emergency is to apply his knowledge"—the language in the particular document—"and skill to the saving of life and relief of suffering and to establish the most favourable conditions for his patient's ultimate recovery. This is the basic philosophy of medicine".So I am clear that my SOP is controversial because I'm saying to medical practitioners in that circumstance you don't have a choice. There is a time limitation in terms of the efficacy of the two modes of emergency contraception. The first is oral contraception that if you take within 12 hours can almost guarantee the woman will not get pregnant and up to 72 hours that form of contraception may work. After 72 hours the most effective form to ensure a woman does not get pregnant after she's been sexually violated is an intrauterine device. So I'm asking the House to consider whether in that context we should actually suspend the right of individual practitioners. Now my colleague the Hon Ruth Dyson is not focusing on the individual practitioner. Her solution actually is to have a responsive health system and for the Minister of Health through the mechanisms that he has to actually guarantee access to emergency contraception. The Minister of Health through the Crown Funding Agreement can ensure that a provider is available—not an individual practitioner but a provider—to ensure that women in those circumstances receive the emergency contraception that I would hope she is entitled to. So those are the different I guess strategies to achieving an objective that has been highlighted by the National Council of Women by ALRANZ but by other women around the country who as victims of sexual violence deserve us—[Bell rung]CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Sorry I rang that a second too early."