Whistle RU 486 Petition Letter to NZ MP’s

Members of Parliament,

NZ Parliament,

Wellington

Dear Members,

Re: Petition Opposing the Issuing of a Licence to

The Family Planning Association to Carry out Abortions at its Hamilton Clinic.

A petition in my name, with 8,791 other signatures, opposing the granting of the licence by the Abortion Supervisory Committee (ASC), to the Hamilton Family Planning Clinic to carry out medical abortions, (hereafter called chemical abortions, this being more accurate), has now been presented to Parliament.

There are 3,528 other signatures from those living in Hamilton/Waikato/Coromandel.

There are 5,263 signatures from across the rest of NZ.

These are New Zealanders from all walks of life, from Kaitaia to Invercargill, who support this petition because they recognize that Hamilton is a test case and should a licence be granted to Hamilton, the other Family Planning clinics throughout the country could also apply.

This could result in 30 more abortion clinics in NZ.

Therefore, they are objecting in particular to the Hamilton application and also to a possible subsequent granting of abortion licences to Family Planning Clinics across NZ.

I believe they are also objecting to, and any expansion of, abortion, in general.

The time span for this petition was only five weeks. There was no funding, no budget, no advertising. Only the initial emails I sent out and word of mouth.

I believe that had the petition been promoted in a major way the response would have been multiplied hundreds of times as public opinion is beginning to turn away from abortion.

My main reasons for promoting this petition are:

• The abortion rate is already alarmingly high in NZ. Should this licence be granted under the guise of “choice”, this can only result in more abortions.

• The Hamilton Family Planning Clinic at 240 Tristram St is very close to Hamilton Girls’ High School, a school of 1,497 girls, and its boarding facility, Sonninghill with 130 girls. (as at Nov ’09)

The school is 0.5km from the Clinic, and Sonninghill 0.9km.

This is of major concern to me as these girls can easily access this clinic without their parents knowing or consenting, or even school or boarding staff, knowing.

• I believe that life begins at conception, therefore, every abortion kills an unborn human being that is unique, whose rights and potential as a human being are largely ignored. Recently I viewed “The Making of a Masterpiece – an interactive multi-media presentation” (1) and saw a clip of a beating heart of a six week unborn baby.

Abortion – including chemical abortion – stops a beating heart.

• Chemical abortion places pregnant women, and especially girls, under great pressure to make a decision very quickly, as the RU486 drug is not safe to use after the 63^rd day.

I expect that other options, such as keeping the baby and outlining all the care options available to do this, or placing the baby for adoption, would not be explored fully.

• No baby should be aborted because of contraception failure. Abortion is not a form of family planning. It’s time to consider the unborn, the other person in this whole abortion scenario: it involves more than just the mother.

• The long term effects and risks of the medications for chemical abortions are largely unknown; even the manufacturers say that. What will be the long term consequences and effects later in life for adolescent girls who take RU486 now?

The short term effects are being documented and range from chronic pain, excess bleeding, incomplete abortion, and infections, to death (primarily from infections).

As with surgical abortions there is post abortion emotional and mental trauma that is gradually being recognised as women are faced with the abortion even 10-20 years later. During November I spoke with a woman who had had an abortion 20 years ago and “buried it”, never considering her present troubles could be related to the abortion.

• Hamilton Family Planning Clinic has said they do not have the space to offer women and girls the option of staying on site after RU486 has been administered. This means that the health of women and girls is compromised, the baby could be aborted anywhere, at any time, not necessarily in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. Then there is the shock of seeing the “products of the uterus” – a baby: the truth about abortion.

• I am concerned about taxpayer funding, via the Waikato District Health Board, who support this application, to Family Planning to administer chemical abortions. As a taxpayer I object strongly to my taxes going towards abortions. I object to their future plans to use Thames and Tokoroa hospitals for such abortions.

• There is now a recognised link between abortion and breast cancer. An Australian study indicated that an induced abortion increases a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer by 150%. (2)

Abortion interrupts the natural process of breast development, leaving the breast with more cells that can become cancerous. Elevated levels of estrogens, starting early in pregnancy, cause normal and pre-cancerous cells to multiply and stimulate the breasts to swell.

Third trimester hormones of a full-term pregnancy change cells into cancer-resistant, milk-producing tissue and turn off their growth (and cancer-forming) potential. (3)

Breast cancer is on the increase in NZ. I believe that an increase in abortion through chemical abortions will increase these statistics.

For the reasons above I am totally opposed to Family Planning being granted a licence.

On behalf of the 8,791 others who signed the petition, I urge you to support this petition by making it known to the ASC (who are appointed by, and therefore accountable to, Parliament), to decline the application for Hamilton and any other Family Planning Clinic who may apply for a licence.

Finally I want to quote from Mother Teresa, internationally respected for her selfless work in India, her humility, her love for all mankind, including the unborn. Her words were received by president and pauper alike.

I believe her conclusion is worth deep consideration as our nation grapples with family violence, child abuse, murders, and suicides – all forms of violence.

“Abortion is the source of violence in the world.”

Yours sincerely,

Sue Rowe

(07) 847 5648

Email: roy.sue.rowe@clear.net.nz

(1) “The Making of a Masterpiece” Contact: Warwick Pascoe, DC Communications, www.masterpiece.org.nz info@masterpiece.org.nz

(2) Andrieu et al. (1995) BR J Cancer 72:744-51 (from Prolife NZ media release 28 Aug, ’09)

(3) Voice for Life NZ 2006, “Abortion Raises Breast Cancer risk” (ditto)