The protesters circle Parliament yesterday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The protesters circle Parliament yesterday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
KEY POINTS:
The women of New Zealand deserve better. That was the message from a crowd of pink-clad, teddy bear-toting and bra-brandishing bikies who rolled on to Parliament's forecourt yesterday to deliver a petition asking the Government to fund 52 weeks of the breast cancer drug Herceptin.
In total, 35loud motorbikes did a circuit around Parliament, many bearing more than one rider and festooned with pink lingerie and fluffy toys.
The "Biking for Boobs" protest brought motorcyclists from around the country together to present a third public petition seeking extended funding of the drug.
The Government's drug-funding agency, Pharmac, funds nine weeks of Herceptin for early-stage HER2 positive breast cancer. The stance has drawn widespread criticism from sufferers of the disease and their supporters.
They say the 12-month regime is proven to be effective and is funded by 24 other OECD countries.
Many New Zealand women have mortgaged their homes or struggled with fundraising, while suffering from breast cancer, to raise the money required for the extra weeks.
Eight breast cancer patients have challenged Pharmac's policy in the High Court at Wellington.
Yesterday, about 100 people gathered at the rally on the steps at Parliament.
Biking for Boobs spokeswoman Maxine Cook said about 1500 signatures had been collected.
Although the petition was not as large as the other two, she said, it was important to deliver the message.
"You only need one more straw to break the camel's back."
