Media Release 18th January 2025
Right to Life believes that the Crown has violated the right to life of Maori unborn children and breached the Treaty of Waitangi by passing the extremist Abortion Legislation Act 2020.
Right to Life requests that the Crown uphold the Treaty by urgently repealing the Abortion Legislation Act 2020. We believe that the Crown should apologise to Maori for this breach, and should recognise that every Maori unborn child is a unique and unrepeatable miracle of God’s loving creation deserving of respect and effective legal protection.
The Crown represented by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson in 1840, signed the Treaty of Waitangi together with 500 Rangatira, representing Maori tribes, Iwi, and hapu. In signing the Treaty, Maori became British citizens, enjoying the protection of the Crown.
Right to Life believes that the protection of the Crown extended to protecting the right to life of unborn Maori children, 'pepe'.
English law, applied in the country from 1840, outlawed abortion. Once New Zealand was self-governing, Parliament passed legislation in 1867 making it an offence to use any means to cause an abortion. There was a very limited right to abortion when a woman’s life was in danger.
In March 2000, Parliament passed the extremist Abortion Legislation Act, designed by Dame Jacinda Ardern, which permitted the killing of unborn children up to 20 weeks for any reason and after 20 weeks if a doctor considered it appropriate.
Right to Life contends that the Crown has now withdrawn its protection for the lives of unborn Maori children, which we consider is a serious breach of the Treaty.
The Crown refuses to recognise unborn Maori children as human beings with a right to life until they are born. It is no longer a crime to kill an unborn Maori child.
Since the passing of the Abortion Legislation Act in 2020, the Ministry of Health reports that 11,028 Maori unborn have been killed in the period 2021 to 2023. It is estimated that more than 16,000 Maori unborn have been killed up to the end of 2024, all funded by the state.
Right to Life believes that the Crown has also breached the Treaty, by conducting a campaign to convince Maori that every Maori woman has the right to kill her children before birth.
Why are not the Maori leaders of this country speaking up about the killing of unborn Maori children?
The Crown is also apologising to Maori for the alleged damage done to Maori culture by missionaries, who taught that killing unborn Maori children was a violation of God’s fifth Commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life New Zealand Inc.