Media Release 6 May 2021

Parliament is commended for debating a resolution on serious human rights abuses including genocide by the Chinese Communist Party against the Muslim Uyghur people in China.

 Parliament unanimously passed a motion that declared that “severe human rights abuses are occurring against the Uyghur people.”

 Right to Life is disappointed that Parliament, in our view, readily recognises human rights abuses and genocide in China, but does not recognise that the New Zealand government has been vigorously conducting an organised campaign of genocide since 2010, against the unborn child diagnosed with Down syndrome, euphemistically called a “quality improvement program.”

The New Zealand government is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention was passed by the General Assembly on 9 December 1948.

Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Right to Life believes that the National government of John Key in 2010 adopted a screening program that was expected to destroy the most persecuted group in New Zealand.

This program of screening for Down syndrome and other disabilities was enthusiastically adopted by the government of Jacinda Ardern in 2017.

The National government of John Key instituted the “Antenatal Screening for Down Syndrome and other conditions – Quality Improvements” program.

This program was introduced by the Ministry of Health following advice from the Ministry’s National Screening Unit [NSU] without public consultation. Cabinet papers obtained under the Official Information Act state that the outcomes of the program will be a reduction in the number of births of people with Down syndrome, with around 90% of unborn children diagnosed with the condition being aborted. It is currently achieving 60% reduction.

The preventing of birth of a group of people falls within the definition of genocide under international law.

Documentation obtained under the Official Information Act from the Ministry of Health included the document Summary of Key Informant Interviews Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening Final Report which states : “The program will be cost beneficial for the population and the health system. The scan highlighted literature that supported the premise that the economic costs of screening outweigh the high costs associated with the long term care needs of an individual with Down syndrome.

This program discriminates against the disabled:-

Right to Life believes that this screening program constitutes genocide as it: “seeks the Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group,”

It is eugenics in promoting only the birth of the perfect.

It is a violation of the sanctity of life and a  crime against humanity.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life