Free School lunches and the State killing by starvation of pre-born!

Media Release 29 March 2025

Right to life questions government on its care of children. Why does the government ignore the silent pleading of the preborn for love and protection and respond by promoting the funding of the starvation and killing of preborn children while commendably responding to the plight of hungry children in low decile schools by providing them with free school lunches?

Every day in New Zealand an estimated 23 pre-born children are cruelly starved to death in an early medical abortion with the state-funded lethal abortion pill, Mifepristone. The Ministry of Health in response to an Official Information request from Right to Life recently advised that the provisional total of early medical abortions performed in 2024 was 11 285.

It is a crime against humanity that the government can fund the killing of a provisional total of 17 123 pre–born children in 2024, in the belief that these children are not human beings with a right to life until they are born, this is a convenient legal fiction.

A woman must first take Mifepristone, which starves the preborn baby who has already implanted in her uterus. It cuts off the nutrition and oxygen of the child who eventually dies. 24 to 48 hours later, in her own home and often alone, she must then take Misoprostol, which expels the dead baby.

Every day an estimated 235000 school children in 1000 schools in New Zealand are provided by the state with free lunches at an annual cost of more than $234 million.

All the political parties in Parliament support the Healthy School Lunches Programme to feed hungry children. All the political parties in Parliament sadly also support the killing by starvation of unwanted pre-born children.

The name of the programme emphasises that its motivation is to promote the health and wellbeing of all children. The duty to protect the health of children begins at conception. Right to Life asks why is the government not concerned with the health and wellbeing of all pre-born children?

The Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, who believes correctly that abortion is murder, allows debate in Parliament on the plight of hungry school children. However, he will not allow debate on the government funded starvation of pre-born children.

Right to Life will not rest until we have legislation which recognises the status of the unborn child from conception as a human being endowed by God with an inalienable right to life. Also the repeal of the extremist Abortion Legislation Act which permits the killing by starvation of the pre-born.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.