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New Zealand
Catherine O'Regan's Human Rights Ammendment Passed

Yesterday the New Zealand parliment voted 48 to 26 in favour of
the ammendment introduced by Catherine O'Regan prohibiting 
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and the
prescence of disease causing organisms (ie in the bodyHIV and
hepatitis) .  These grounds were added to disability, age,
political opinion, employment status and family status as grounds
on which discrimination is now prohibited.

Several attempts to water down the ammendment, exempting the police
and employers from its juristriction were unsuccessful.  Exemptions
do however allow for discrimination on the basis of sexuality in
the areas of domestic help in private households, and in personal
counselling.  The armed forces will not be compelled to place people
with disease causing organisms in front line posistions (based on
an arguement that they need to be able to perform 'battlefield blood
transfusions').

Exemptions on ethical and religious grounds could also be available
for churches and church-run schools (churches may still discriminate
on the basis of gender also, they are not forced to admit women as
priests)

source: The Press and TVNZ
29 July 1993

peter yeates
phys4pjy@phys.canterbury.ac.nz