‘Common sense’ New Zealand bill seeks to legally define women
A right-wing party in New Zealand, New Zealand First, is advocating for a bill that aims to legally define “woman” as an “adult human biological female” and “man” as an “adult human biological male.” The bill, presented by winston Peters, the party’s leader and deputy prime minister, argues that it is a measure to protect the integrity of these terms and push back against what Peters describes as “woke ideology” affecting women’s rights and safety. Critics, including labor Party leader Chris Hipkins, suggest that the proposal is a political maneuver to attract attention rather than a genuine policy initiative. The bill would amend the Legislation Act 2019 to clarify these definitions, but its passage is uncertain, as it must go through a random ballot in Parliament due to it originating from a non-ministerial member. The move comes in the context of a recent UK Supreme Court ruling that also recognized similar biological definitions within legal contexts.
New Zealand bill would legally define ‘women’ as ‘biological female’: ‘Win for common sense’
A right-wing party in New Zealand is pushing a bill that would legally define “men” and “women” according to biological sex.
If passed, the legislation would clearly define the legal category of “woman” as an “adult human biological female” and “man” as an “adult human biological male.”
The bill was put forward by New Zealand First, the smallest member party of the New Zealand Parliament’s governing coalition, claiming it could roll back “cancerous social engineering” and be a “win for common sense.”
“This is not about being anti-anyone or anti-anything,” New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said in an announcement of the bill. “This is about ensuring we as a country focus on the facts of biology and protect the term ‘woman’ in law.”
In addition to leading New Zealand First, which holds eight out of 123 seats in Parliament, Peters is also the country’s deputy prime minister.
“This Bill would ensure our country moves away from the woke ideology that has crept in over the last few years, undermining the protection, progression, and safety of women,” Peters continued.
The bill would formalize the definitions by adding amendments to the Legislation Act 2019, which provides guidance on the drafting and interpretation of legislation.
It is far from guaranteed that the bill will be considered. Because it is proposed by a member of Parliament and not a minister, it will be up to a random ballot whether it will be brought to the floor.
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins complained to public broadcaster Radio New Zealand that the bill is only meant to grab attention.
“They’re interested in one headline after the next,” Hipkins said. “They don’t really have a coherent program, and they’re certainly not focused on the things that are required to lead New Zealand forward.”
The bill was publicized not long after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled in favor of similar legal definitions clarifying the biological nature of gender.
UK SUPREME COURT RULES ‘WOMEN’ ARE BIOLOGICALLY FEMALE UNDER EQUALITY ACT
The U.K.’s top court unanimously found that “the terms ‘women’ and ‘sex’ in Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex,” disqualifying transgender-identifying people from being included in the legal category.
For Women Scotland, a women’s rights organization that opposes self-designation of gender identity, brought the case to court after the Scottish government expanded its definition of “women” to include transgender-identifying people.
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