Family First Launches "Value Your Vote" Website

Family First NZ has today launched a website highlighting the conscience and family related bills voted on over the past 6 years, and how each MP and political party has voted.

The website is www.valueyourvote.org.nz and has an accompanying pamphlet.

“Over the past six years there have been a number of law changes voted on by our politicians specifically impacting the welfare of kiwi families, and the role of parents and marriage,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “Some of these laws — like the anti-smacking law, the Care of Children Act and the ‘parental notification’ law (relating to abortion) — have undermined the important role parents play in their children’s lives.”

“Others — like the Civil Unions Act, Relationships Act, and the lack of support for the Marriage Amendment Bill — have weakened and attempted to redefine the traditional family structure, ignoring the mass body of research which shows that family structure and marriage is hugely beneficial, not only for children, but for adults and families as well.”

“And laws — such as the decriminalisation of prostitution, the euthanasia bill, the Easter trading laws, and Parliament’s refusal to raise the drinking age — have failed to take into account what is best for the welfare and safety of families.”

The website allows voters to see how their local MP and each political party has voted on these important social issues.

“Despite many of them being conscience votes, in many cases, there seems to be a ‘collective conscience’!,” says Mr McCoskrie. “But most concerning of all has been the inability of MPs to hear the wishes and concerns of NZ families — for example, surveys showed that over 70% wanted the drinking age raised to 20, approximately 83% opposed the anti-smacking bill, and over 71% believed that a parent should be informed if a girl under 16 goes to a doctor to seek an abortion.”

“Families deserve laws that strengthen and protect them — not ones that redefine and undermine them according to politically correct ideology. We hope this record of how our members of parliament voted on important family-based legislation will help voters make an informed decision of who to vote for at Election ’08.”