This guideline provides best practice clinical guidance for health professionals on abortion care in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The guideline, published by the Ministry replaced the Interim Standards for Abortion Services and is intended for use by health practitioners who provide or are considering to provide abortion care and cover pre-, during and post-abortion specific content.
New Zealand Abortion Clinical Guideline — Ministry of Health (external link)
Abortion counselling is no longer mandatory. People seeking an abortion however must be made aware that counselling is available to them, both before and after receiving abortion services. Abortion related counselling must be in line with the standard as outlined in this document.
The standard is grounded in Te Tiriti and health equity practice and describes what the Ministry expects of those delivering abortion related counselling.
The standard also outlines what abortion counselling is, the principles, and who can provide abortion counselling and the principles. It sets out the connection with Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Services Standard NZS 8134:2021 and sets out the rights of people receiving abortion counselling.
Standard for Abortion Counselling Aotearoa New Zealand — Ministry of Health (external link)
Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Services Standard — Ministry of Health (external link)
The Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Services Standard NZS 8134:2021 defines the updates to the quality and safety requirements for the provision of included services in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ngā Paerewa reflects the shift towards more person- and whānau-centred health and disability services. People are empowered to make decisions about their own care and support in order to achieve their goals, with a stronger focus on outcomes for people receiving support.
Ngā Paerewa and the corresponding Sector Guidance for Abortion Services provide a suite of information about the best practices for abortion services.
Online training is currently available to health practitioners through LearnOnline. These resources include:
Health practitioners can create a LearnOnline account through the link above to access these resources.
When you create a LearnOnline account or use an existing account to complete or access this training, we may collect and use the information provided to support the development of further workforce training. If information about the training is published, it will be done so anonymously.
You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you related to this, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. For any queries email abortionservices@tewhatuora.govt.nz
The New Zealand College of Sexual and Reproductive Health (NZCSRH) has developed free training modules for first-trimester abortion with cultural safety at its core. The training is suitable for:
This training aims to increase the availability of, and access to, abortion services by growing a diverse abortion workforce across the sector, including those in primary or community settings.
The training is focused on delivering abortion care that better meets the needs of Māori, Pasifika, gender diverse and disabled people, who experience greater inequity when accessing health services like abortion care.
The training includes an early medical abortion (EMA) module, an early surgical module (ESA), a triage and communication skills module and an early pregnancy point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) module.
New Zealand College of Sexual and Reproductive Health (NZCSRH) (external link)
Abortion training — NZCSRH (external link)
The pharmacist education package, developed by the Goodfellow Unit, is available for pharmacists.
The course provides the knowledge necessary to dispense EMA medicines, understand what to expect, and how best to support a person receiving EMA medicines safely and sensitively.
There is no requirement for a pharmacy to provide medicines used for medical abortion. A pharmacist may hold a conscientious objection to supplying these medicines and a pharmacy business may decide not to supply these medicines.
Pharmacists are reminded of their obligations under the Pharmacy Council’s Code of Ethics 2018 which acknowledges a pharmacist’s right to hold a conscientious objection, and for the pharmacist who holds such an objection, their requirement to ‘refer patients to alternative providers if personal moral or religious beliefs prevent the pharmacist from providing a professional service, and appropriately facilitates continuity of care’ (Principle 2: H).
Pharmacy Council Code of Ethics — Pharmacy Council (external link)
If a pharmacy chooses to supply medicines for EMA, under the legislation, the pharmacy meets the legal (but not clinical) definition of an abortion provider and so must be registered on a list held by the Ministry. All abortion providers are able to apply for a Safe Area.
Safe areas — Ministry of Health (external link)
Pharmacists dispensing EMA medicines are not required to submit reports to the Ministry. It is the EMA prescriber's overall responsibility (such as the health practitioner who provided the abortion consultation and prescription), who is responsible for the reporting.
Abortion is a sensitive topic and may be difficult for some people. Talk to your employer if you need support, including access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). You can also free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor.