SpeechAGNES LOHENI (National): Thank you Mr Chair. I rise to make a contribution in this debate Part 2 of the Abortion Legislation Bill and I want to support Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 479 in the name of my colleague Melissa Lee. The intention of this SOP is to prevent disability discrimination by ensuring that a person who commits this offence is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding seven years. The person does not commit an offence if the medical practitioner provides a certificate confirming the unborn child is affected by a condition that is likely to lead to the death of the unborn child either before or within 28 days of the birth. It's also important to note that the woman is not guilty of an offence under this section.This SOP is important because as I have alluded to prior in this Chamber section 11 of this bill—and I am talking about this bill because I notice that the Minister has spoken and has said that we are trying to debate abortion. The fact that some members in this House may have a view on abortion does not discount our view on this particular bill which is liberalising the current laws. And I noticed the Minister has tried a number of times to say You members you don't like abortion. Actually that's what it's about." That is not what it's about. I have been very clear in this committee in talking about section 11 specifically the criteria which is very broad very vague very loose. Because of that it makes those pre-born babies unborn babies and I will say that—I will absolutely say that: they are unborn babies. I had six of them inside of me. I know what they are. That makes unborn babies with disabilities or other defects very very vulnerable.I noticed that the member Louisa has said that people aren't aborting their babies with Down syndrome and I would hope for that to be true. You were saying that under our current law but it is now a different scenario with this bill that is in front of us which is what we are debating which we are saying to this House is a totally different picture now. It's a totally different scenario. We're kicking open that door post - 20 weeks. We are lowering the threshold and it does make those families those pre-born babies very very vulnerable.They have reached out to us and asked us to advocate and to be their voice and that's what I'm here to do. So I ask this committee to consider and to support this SOP. And it is needed because of section 11. It is needed because my amendment to tighten up section 11 was not acceptable in this committee—absolutely not accepted. And yet we all want to talk about no discrimination—no discrimination for people with a disability. The disability community in New Zealand already feel vulnerable. They already feel like they are inferior. They already have challenges. And now we're going to put in a law that makes them even less so because of how unborn babies with disabilities will be treated under this bill. They are very very vulnerable.I want to bring in in my remaining time one of the submissions. Again I remind the House: there were 25000 submissions in Opposition to this bill. Over 91 percent oppose this bill. This is just one of the many stories that came through and this particular one is very relevant to this part. Philippa Barlow: her son when she was pregnant was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She made a very powerful submission and when she was in the surgery with her husband there was intense pressure on her from the specialist to have an abortion. Even though they had made their case very strongly to specialists that abortion was not an option there was immense pressure. And in fact because it was post - 20 weeks they suggested that she could fly to Australia to have an abortion. If that was the pressure for those families now you can imagine the pressure there would be under this new bill. On a positive note that baby their son is 13 years old today and he is well adjusted. There are some things that he can't do in terms of sport. Thank you."