Media Release 16 March 2022
Parliament passes controversial Safe Area Bill
Escalates War on Women and Unborn
Right to Life is disappointed that Parliament has shamefully escalated the war on women and the unborn by passing the controversial Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion [Safe area] Amendment bill at its third reading by 108 to 12 votes.
Right to Life commends the 12 courageous MPs who voted against this bill.
This legislation violates our human rights of free speech, assembly, communication and freedom of religion. The legislation provides the Minister of Health with the authority to establish a buffer zone of 150 metres around every abortion facility in New Zealand should he consider it desirable even though it may not be requested by the abortion provider.
This a farcical Act that seeks to address a problem that does not exist in NZ.
Parliament has chosen to ignore the evidence that there is absolutely no need for this unjust law.
The electorate should remember at the next election not to vote for those MPs who voted for this anti-life and anti-human rights bill.
- Completely ignored the overwhelming opposition of written and oral submissions made by the public. The Committee received 914 written submissions. There was overwhelming opposition to the bill with 635 submissions being opposed (70%) and only 175 in support (19%), 103 submissions were considered neutral.(11%).
- Ignored the advice of the Law Commission to the Minister of Justice that this bill was not necessary, as the Summary Offences Act addressed any potential intimidation and harassment of women and staff.
- Ignored the fact that District Health Boards and abortion providers did not seek “safe areas” as they did not consider them necessary.
- Ignored the fact that Right to Life’s Official Information Act requests to the 20 District Health Boards seeking the number of written and oral complaints received in the last two years from women complaining of intimidation and harassment, revealed that there were no complaints either oral or in writing, not even one.
Right to Life believes that the purposes of this Act are:
- To normalise the killing of the unborn in abortion as health care.
- To demonise and harass those who are opposed to the killing of the unborn and to suppress dissent
- To distract attention away from the real intimidation and violence that is inflicted on women and their unborn in the abortion facility. The very real violence is inflicted on women inside the facility where her child is poisoned, sucked from her womb or violently and painfully dismembered.
- To protect the abortion industry by preventing the presence of persons within a safe area offering help to a woman to choose life for her child.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life N.Z. Inc.