Media Release 1 May 2021
Doctors refusing to kill unborn children with Lethal Injection
The Mid Central District Health Board recently funded an estimated $10,000 for an abortion in Sydney that doctors in New Zealand had presumably refused to do, because they did not believe that it was “appropriate.”
A summary of quarterly reports of District Health Boards [DHB] by the Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, revealed his concern that there were only 4 DHBs where doctors were prepared to administer feticide to kill the unborn who were 22 weeks or more in gestation.
Dr Bloomfield has instructed that for medical abortions of these children that feticide, an injection of Potassium chloride, was to be injected into the heart of the child to kill it and ensure that the baby was not born alive. The purpose of abortion is to produce a dead baby, not a live one.
There are 4 DHBs that offer feticide, Auckland, Capital & Coast, Canterbury and Southern. Dr Bloomfield is concerned that many doctors refuse on conscience grounds to be involved in the killing of the unborn.
Dr Bloomfield’s summary reveals:-
· “That some medical practitioners are unwilling to be involved outside of care for severe fetal abnormality.”
· “Providers of feticide are likely to object to being involved if the abortion is not because of fetal abnormality or severe health risk to the woman.”
The Minister of Health, Andrew Little, previously the Minister for Justice, stated on 6 August 2019, when presenting the Abortion Legislation bill at its first reading:-
“The evidence is that virtually all abortions carried out after 20 weeks are because of severe foetal abnormality or because there is a severe risk to the woman’s life or physical health. And, for the record, let me state there is no such thing as “full-term abortion”.
The conclusions of the Director General of Health contradict the statement of his Minister. It must now be concluded that many late term abortions are performed, some up to birth are for socio economic reasons and have nothing to do with protecting the life or health of the mother.
This was the predictable result of Parliament passing the Prime Minister’s extremist Abortion Legislation Act 2020. The report of the Perinatal Maternal Review Commission report for 2018 revealing that in 2017 and in 2018 there 3 abortions between 37 and 40 weeks gestation, this confirms that abortions are being done up to birth.
Right to Life applauds those courageous doctors, midwifes and nurses who refuse to be involved in the killing of the defenceless unborn before birth.
The concern of Dr Bloomfield was highlighted by information obtained under the Official Information Act from the Mid Central DHB. It was disclosed that a DHB had sent a women wanting a late term abortion to the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Sydney. The cost of this abortion funded by the DHB was $8,633.99 plus travel and accommodation costs.
The Perinatal Maternal Mortality Review Commission revealed in its latest report that there were 135 late term abortions from 20 weeks gestation in 2018. * (See end of post for details)
37 – 40 weeks <3 abortions
32 – 36 weeks, 3
28 – 31 weeks <3
25 – 27 weeks 16
23 – 24 weeks 26
20 – 22 weeks 87
Dr Bloomfield has directed that, in the event that feticide with a lethal injection of Potassium chloride is not available because of the refusal of doctors refusing to be involved on conscience grounds, then doctors must kill the unborn in a surgical abortion.
This is particularly gruesome and excruciatingly painful, surgical abortion involves crushing, dismemberment and removal of the baby’s body from a woman’s uterus, mere weeks before, or even after, the child reaches a developmental age of potential viability outside the mother.
Right to Life is opposed to Dr Bloomfield’s proposal to develop an employment strategy to ensure staff are committed to the killing of unborn children as health care as part of their job description, consistent with the new legislation. Our hospitals should be committed to caring not killing.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life
* A summary table with the figures is available on page 60 of the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee | Te P?rongo ?-Tau Tekau m? Wh? o te Komiti Arotake Mate P?pi, Mate Whaea Hoki. A copy can be viewed or downloaded on our website: https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/our-
