Right to Life is opposed to the New Zealand Family Planning Association’s application to the Abortion Supervisory Committee [ASC] for a licence to terminate the lives of unborn children at its Hamilton Clinic. The ASC advised Right to Life under the Official Information Act that the Association had made a request for a licence for its Hamilton clinic to perform chemical abortions The Association’s pursuit of a licence to kill unborn children is bad news for the unborn and bad news for women. The Association is promoting a culture of death; it should be seen as a peddler of death.

The Family Planning Association in March announced plans to seek licences to provide medical abortions from its 30 branches in New Zealand . There are three Public Hospitals in the Waikato District Health Board that are licenced to perform abortions, Hamilton , Thames and Tokoroa. The ASC reported that in 2007 that there were 2172 abortions reported at those hospitals. Should the Family Planning clinic be given a licence we can expect an increase in abortions in the Waikato .   

Right to Life has engaged Queen’s Counsel. In the event that the Abortion Supervisory Committee issues an abortion licence to the New Zealand Family Planning Association, it is the intention of this Society to consider initiating proceedings in the High Court in Wellington to stop the issuing of a licence.

Right to Life believes that the Family Planning Association is strongly pro-abortion and unsuitable to be granted a licence to terminate the lives of unborn children. The Association is the major abortion referral agency in New Zealand ; it supports girls under the age of 16 being able to have an abortion without the knowledge or consent of parents. and has an employment policy to employ only doctors who believe that abortion is for a woman to choose in consultation with a doctor of her choice, this is abortion on demand. Justice Miller in the High Court in his judgment of June 2008 in his review of the performance of the Abortion Supervisory Committee stated that abortion on demand is unlawful in New Zealand . Justice Miller also stated “there is reason to doubt the lawfulness of many abortions authorised by certifying consultants.” In the event of the Association being granted a licence to perform abortions, our Society would have serious concerns about the lawfulness of these abortions. Many doctors employed by Family Planning are certifying consultants.

The Association is an ardent advocate for the decriminalisation of abortion in New Zealand . The Association believes that unborn children are not endowed with inalienable human rights that the killing of an unborn child is not a crime and that abortion should be a health matter for a woman to choose. The Association is a vocal advocate of a “woman’s right to choose to terminate the life of her child” there is no such right; a mother does not have a right to kill her own child. Nobody has a right to kill another person.

It is the intention of Family Planning to use Mifegyne, RU486 a controversial, dangerous and lethal drug. It is 98 per cent effective in killing unborn children up to 9 weeks gestation. It is also dangerous for women’s health. There have been 12 reported deaths in the United States of women resulting from the use of Mifegyne. There have also been over 1200 complications resulting from the use of this dangerous drug, many of the complications were life threatening. The long term effects on women’s health are unknown as trials have not been conducted. 

The Family Planning Association claims in its media release that ‘safe and accessible abortion services are an integral part of good reproductive health,” they are not, the authentic care of vulnerable women and their unborn requires compassionate care and help that respects the life of the unborn child and protects the wellbeing and physical and mental health of the mother. If Family Planning were really concerned about women’s health they would be providing compassionate care to vulnerable women and their unborn children by promoting adoption and parenting as loving options.

It is the intention of Right to Life to write to the ASC opposing this application of the Association. It is also the Society’s intention to write to the Minister of Health opposing any request of the Association to government for funding of abortions at the Hamilton clinic or any other Association clinic. Right to Life would encourage the citizens of the Waikato to speak up in support of the lives of their unborn by opposing the plans of Family Planning to bring death to the innocent and defenceless unborn of their Province and damage to the physical and psychological health of the children’s mothers.

Ken Orr

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.