This Supplementary Order Paper amends clause 7 of the Abortion Legislation Bill by inserting new section 18 to require that persons and organisations with duties or responsibilities under the Bill recognise the cultural considerations relevant to the woman requesting abortion services and also ensure interpretation services are available.

Subclause (1) is primarily derived from the Coroners (Access to Body of Dead Person) Amendment Act 2018 and establishes a requirement that duties and responsibilities under the Act must be exercised recognising the ethnic background, social attitudes, and spiritual beliefs of the woman. Social attitudes or customs, set out in paragraph (1)(b), include the woman’s ties with her family, whānau, hapū, iwi, and family group; the contribution of those ties to the woman’s wellbeing; and the woman’s cultural and ethnic identity, language, and religious or ethical beliefs.

Subclause (2) is primarily derived from section 6 of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 and establishes a requirement that competent interpretation services be provided to any woman requesting abortion services whose first or preferred language is not English or who is unable to understand or communicate in English because of disability.