SpeechHon ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast): Thank you Mr Speaker for the opportunity to speak on the first reading of this bill. I'll say at the outset that I am supporting it through to the select committee. I do have two concerns and those have been enunciated by a couple of the speakers particularly around the 20-plus weeks. When you talk about the viability of a foetus—I'm not a medical person but I understand that 22 to 24 weeks is about the time that a foetus can survive once it's been delivered. So I do hope that the select committee will look very carefully at that timing and perhaps strengthen what needs to happen to protect that foetus. The second concern I have is around the exclusion zone because when you talk about setting up an exclusion zone I get the image of an abortion clinic that is quite isolated in the community—that you put a ring around it and no one can come in or can go out. I will come back to this because that's my main concern: about how this actually happens out in our communities. Can I also acknowledge the Minister Andrew Little who's brought this to the House for the very thoughtful way that he's brought this through and the consultative manner in which I know he has been working with people across the House and I thank him for bringing the bill to the House. I welcome the recognition that a decision to terminate a pregnancy is a tragedy. It's traumatic but it's not criminal. It's not a criminal act. Nobody makes that decision without agonising over it and nobody escapes from the trauma that making that decision causes and the procedures. Nobody escapes that trauma. So that's why as the House focuses on the legislative processes I would like to see us work across the House to ensure that should this bill succeed there will be accessible community-based health services available for women and their families. That's why I don't feel comfortable with that exclusion zone because I believe that terminations should be an integral part of sexual and reproductive health services alongside family planning contraception dealing with miscarriages pre- and post-natal care. They are all a part of a woman's reproductive cycle. They should be dealt with together and they should all be provided locally and in a community setting. Currently in rural provincial New Zealand too many women are sent away for a termination. That could mean two or three days away from home. Many of them of course are seeking a termination because of what's happening in their home that makes it impossible for them to continue with that pregnancy. So the actual idea of leaving their home for two or three days is totally impractical. Many of the drugs that are used during that termination mean they can't drive. It's not safe for them to drive so they have to take a taxi or they have to take a driver with them. Again impractical; not working for rural provincial women. Expensive—the cost of staying in a motel and taking a taxi to and from the clinic; unachievable for too many of the women that are seeking terminations. Then there's no follow-up service by the clinic and there's no follow-up by any counselling. I think should this bill proceed and I hope it does that we should be looking to ensure that if you can have a baby practically anywhere—in the back of a taxi; we had them on the side of a road in Lumsden—then you should be able to have a first trimester termination in a community setting. That's what we should expect for all our women. Terminating a pregnancy is traumatic and some will carry the guilt of that for the rest of their lives. They shouldn't have to circumvent an archaic law—and I do believe it is an archaic law—that makes them criminals that makes them find ways to get around the law in order to achieve good health for themselves and their families. My conscience vote always goes to my electorate. This is my only opportunity to express personal views. I commend this bill to the House.