High School Feminist Meet-up: New Zealand

by Terry Bellamak
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In October, a group of secondary school-age feminists decided to host a big meetup in Wellington. They hailed from Wellington High, Samuel Marsden, and Wellington Girls East (Femin-Easts is their club’s name). Their purpose was to discuss gender inequality and how they could get involved.

They invited speakers from across the spectrum of feminist organisations, including Wellington Rape Crisis, feminist groups from Victoria University, and the Abortion Law Reform Association of NZ. ALRANZ Executive board member Kesaya Baba and President Terry Bellamak attended and spoke.

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The audience was engaged and asked lots of thoughtful questions. ALRANZ addressed reproductive rights from a human rights perspective, and as a practical facet of women’s health care.

Not surprisingly, the audience was very interested in the anti-abortion petition to force abortion patients under the age of 16 to inform their parents. They raised a valid point about the Select Committee sessions on the petition: the Committee heard from counsellors, Family Planning, a crisis pregnancy centre, and a button collector, but never sought or heard the views of girls under 16.
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Many girls in the audience would have done credit to themselves and their schools and greatly assisted the Committee had they been given a chance to explain what effect law change would have on them, and why they believe Parliament should not consider changing the Care of Children Act 2004.
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