“I said, ‘Well, you know, only maybe 40%,’ then he said it again and I said, ‘You know,’ laughing, ‘no one marched when I was elected’. ” Ouch.
When she decriminalised abortion in NZ
While we’re still reeling at the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade last year, in early 2020 Jacinda was the driving force behind the New Zealand government’s decision to decriminalise abortion.
The decision allowed women to choose a termination up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy. Previously, two doctors had been required to approve the abortion and it was only allowed if there was a “serious danger” to the women’s health. The decriminalisation allowed more women to have control over their bodies, which we think is a win.
Her perfect response to an interviewer’s creepy question about when her daughter was conceived
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy, Jacinda faced a downright sexist interview with a male journalist from the Australian version of 60 Minutes.
Speaking to both Jacinda and her partner Clarke Gayford, at one point the journalist said that a lot of people had been “counting back to the conception”.
Jacinda appeared to roll her eyes and say: “The election was done. Not that we need to get into those details. ”
When she rolled out free period products to all NZ schools
In 2021, Jacinda announced that the government would provide all New Zealand schools with free sanitary products in a bid to help combat period poverty.
“Providing free period products at school is one way the Government can directly address poverty, help increase school attendance, and make a positive impact on children’s well-being,” she said in a statement.
The move, one which was later introduced in England, would hopefully result in less girls missing school because they cannot afford period products.
When she announced that her partner Clarke Gayford would be a stay-at-home dad
In what was perhaps one of her best girl boss moves, Jacinda announced that her partner Clarke would be a stay-at-home days when she revealed she was pregnant with their first child.