Right to Life Questions Minister on Government Funding of Family Planning Abortion Clinics

Dear Mr Ryall

Re: Abortion Funding – Family Planning Association

Thank you for your letter of 2 November 2009. You advise that;

“Public funding for the termination of pregnancies is provided through district health boards and that you cannot guarantee that a district health board will not choose to contract with a Family Planning Association Clinic to provide these services should the Association be granted a licence.”

In your letter of 23 April 2009, you advised that “the Association would have to put forward a formal proposal asking for funding and no proposal has been received. I would expect the Ministry of Health to discuss any proposal with me.”

I would be grateful if you would advise if you, as the Minister of Health, have the authority to decline any proposal from Family Planning to your Ministry or to a district health board for financial assistance to fund the performance of abortions at the Association’s Hamilton clinic or at any other of the Association’s clinics?

You would be aware that at this time there is a fierce debate in the United States Congress about the provision of government funding of abortions in the President’s Health Bill. There are also many in our community who are adamantly opposed to the use of their taxes being used to fund the termination of the lives of unborn New Zealanders. Any provision of taxpayer’s money to the Family Planning Association for the performance of abortions would be a cause of increasing concern.

Would you kindly advise your government’s policy on the use of taxpayer’s money to fund the performance of abortions in facilities other than those under the control of district health boards?

Yours sincerely

Ken Orr

Secretary