Media Release 2 June 2021

Terry Bellamak is the spokesperson for a small radical anti-life and anti-feminist organisation that believes that the law should allow the killing of the unborn up to birth, for any reason. The organisation is believed to have a national membership of about forty-five members. This radical and dangerous organisation not only wants no restrictions on abortion but represents a real and continuing threat to the exercise of our right to free speech, assembly, communication and religion. 

These human rights are upheld by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and guaranteed by the New Zealand Bill of Rights. Ms Bellamak has presented a petition supported by 2,400 persons to Parliament requesting that  the Health Select Committee amend the  Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion [Safe Areas] Bill to create safe areas automatically around all abortion facilities and clinics. This would constitute an unprecedented attack on our human rights that must be resisted.

Ms Bellamak seeks to control what we believe, what we say, where we assemble, what we communicate and where we may pray.

Ms Bellamak claims that women accessing abortion clinics are being intimidated and harassed by caring, peaceful, law abiding people who are conducting prayer vigils praying for an end to abortion, for the women who are the second victim of abortion and for the doctors and nurses engaged in doing abortions. She is victimising women by seeking to  prevent them from seeking help from those who are praying.

Ms Bellamak refuses to produce any evidence of the alleged harassment and continues to slander those praying by calling them “bullies and busybodies.”

Eighteen District Health Boards in New Zealand have advised Right to Life in response to an Official Information Act request that they have no record of either verbal or written complaints of intimidation or harassment from women accessing abortion at their facilities over a two year period, nor did they have complaints from staff accessing abortion facilities. The two DHBs that have not replied do not perform abortions.

This response is significant: if there are no complaints, it raises questions about the veracity of Ms Bellamak’s alarming and unfounded accusations.

The media are at the service of the community that they serve. Right to Life therefore requests that the media oppose this contentious bill by being at the forefront in defending our right to free speech, assembly, communication and religion .

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life