Capital Punishment

Right to Life applauds the Prime Minister’s announcement at an event in Parliament on Wednesday 10 October 2007. She stated that she is working with other nations to put a resolution to the United Nations seeking the abolition of the death penalty. The Prime Minister states that capital punishment was removed from the statute books in 1961. It is encouraging that she seeks to defend the right to life.

There is however a serious inconsistency, because New Zealand still retains the death penalty for its unborn children. Since 1977 the government has presided over the killing of more than 350,000 innocent and defenceless unborn children, in a system that is approved and funded by government. Since 1999 the current Labour led government has presided over the destruction of more than 140,000 unborn New Zealanders. This is a violation of the human rights of our own children. New Zealand is therefore a major violator of human rights.

The Prime Minister said at the event at Parliament that “Capital punishment is the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” She also said that “The death penalty violates the right to life….it is known to have been inflicted on the innocent.” These statements could be associated with the plight of unborn children. The abortion approval process is conducted by doctors behind closed doors; no witnesses may appear in defence of the child. There is no right of appeal and the death sentence is carried out quickly. Every abortion results in at least two victims, one dead child and a wounded mother.

Between 1842 and 1957 a total of 83 persons were executed in New Zealand. The number executed pales into insignificance when compared with the number of unborn children executed by abortion.

The killing of our unborn children is a cause of national shame and an intolerable burden on the conscience of this nation.

If the Prime Minister is genuinely concerned with upholding the sanctity of life and promoting a culture of life, she should move with urgency to stop the abortion holocaust by providing effective legal protection for the right to life of all New Zealanders from the moment of conception.

Right to Life also requests that the New Zealand Bill of Rights 1990 be amended to remove the discrimination against the unborn. Section 8 should read; ‘No human being shall be deprived of life except on such grounds as are established by law and are consistent with the principles of fundamental justice.”