Pregnancy Rights

Your legal options during and after pregnancy

What this Guide covers

• Introduction
  What this guide is about, where to go for legal advice and where to go for more help
• Sexual health
  Sexual Consent, contraception and the Emergency Contraceptive Pill
• Some options after a positive pregnancy test
  Seeking support, termination, adoption, foster care and whāngai
• Healthcare
  Maternity care and privacy, drug and alcohol use during pregnancy and safety
• Education if you’re under 18
  Information on school and education when you’re pregnant and under the age of 18
• Housing
  Information on housing and renting
• Work
  Employment protections, parental leave, returning to work and bereavement leave
• The other parent
  Who’s the other parent? (“paternity”), parent titles for gender-diverse parents and Paternity Orders
• Caring for a child
  Guardianship of a child, day-to-day care and contact with a child and Child support & benefits
• Dealing with Oranga Tamariki
  your rights when dealing with Oranga Tamariki/Ministry for Children
• Legal Aid
  Legal aid will help pay for your lawyer’s fees and you won’t need to pay it back
• Where to go for more support
  Other information and resources