Does the government really care about women's health?

Media Release 3rd Feb 2020

Right to Life questions the government’s commitment to women’s health. Why does it not have information concerning the detrimental effect of abortion on women’s health? How can the government continue to promote abortion as a health service when It has no information to support its effectiveness in protecting women’s health?

98% of the more than 13 000 abortions authorised in New Zealand each year are done on the grounds that the continution of the pregnancy would result in serious danger [not being danger normally attendant upon childbirth] to the mental health of the women.

Right to Life submitted an Official Information Act request to the Minister of Health on 7 January 2020. The questions were:-

What information do you have that abortions authorised on the grounds of mental health in New Zealand protects the health of women?

Do you have any evidence that abortion has a detrimental effect on the health of women?

The Minister of Health responded on 22 January:-

The information requested appears to be more closely associated with the functions and responsibilities of the Ministry of Justice. Accordingly I am transferring your request to the Ministry of Justice…

This is a legal subterfuge used by the Ministers of this government to avoid providing information to the public which would incriminate the government. Right to Life believes that it is reasonable to conclude that the Minister of Health does not have any information which would support the killing of unborn children for the purpose of protecting the mental health of women in New Zealand. There is also no reason to believe why the Minister of Justice should have this information.

There is no other area of our health services where there is not rigorous and constant review of the services to ensure that the services are justified, meeting the designated health objectives and are cost effective. It is appalling that the government can promote the violent killing of the unborn for the purpose of protecting women’s mental health when they have no evidence that it is achieving this objective.

It is astounding that the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Jacinda Ardern, as a woman and as a mother, should be driving the decriminalisation of abortion and inflicting the violence of abortion on women and their precious unborn children, under the pretext that it is protecting the mental health of women.

In 2008, New Zealand scientist Professor David Fergusson and his team of researchers found rates of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance abuse were about 30 per cent higher in women who had experienced abortion, compared to those who had not.

This is a cruel and cynical exploitation of vulnerable women. Abortion is a failed experiment in social engineering by this and previous governments with women being used as guinea pigs.

Right to Life believes that it is absolutely scandalous that the government can promote and fund the killing of defenceless and innocent unborn children as a core health service and deceive women into believing that it is necessary to kill their unborn child to protect their mental health.

It may be concluded from the Minister’s response to the second question that the Minister and previous Ministers have not had any research conducted into the widely recognised detrimental effects of abortion on women’s health. Our women deserve better, does the government really care about women’s health?

Ken Orr
Spokesperson,
Right to Life