Right to Life New Zealand

Upholding the sanctity of Human life and Standing Up for the Vulnerable

Parliament Passes Controversial Safe Area Bill

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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.

Abortion Safe Zone bill victimises women and unborn violates right to free speech, assembly and association

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Media Release 24 November 2021

The Health Select Committee after considering the bill believe that abortion providers should not have to wait until harm is done before seeking the Minister of Health’s approval for a “safe area”. 

The Health Select Committee has reported back to Parliament on its consideration of the controversial and anti-life Contraception, Sterilisation & Abortion [Safe areas] Amendment bill of Labour MP Louisa Wall, the bill now awaits its second reading.

The Select Committee have recommended the bill be amended to radically change the criteria pertaining to the Minister of Health consenting to impose “safe areas” within 150 metres around abortion facilities. The recommendation is that the Minister is only required to believe that the imposition of a safe area is desirable to prevent any possible future harassment or intimidation and not as previously drafted as being necessary to prevent current alleged harassment and intimidation. The Committee has reported no evidence of women or staff being intimidated or harassed at abortion facilities.

Right to Life believes that it is the intention of government to impose so called “safe areas” around every abortion facility in New Zealand.

This could be achieved by instructing all the 20 District Health Boards to apply to the Minister for a “safe area” around their abortion facility. A request that would be quickly granted. This is to promote the illusion that those who poison, suction, and violently dismember the unborn are the protectors of women and provide a safe place for the killing of their unborn.

Right to Life believes that the community should vigorously oppose the government of Jacinda Ardern that is prepared to violate our human rights with impunity in order to promote its war on women and their precious unborn.

The government will not tolerate those in the community who refuse to accept the violent killing of the unborn as “health care”.

The government was not able to provide evidence that the Summary Offences Act is inadequate to deal with any civil disorder near abortion facilities.

It should be noted that the Health Select Committee which considered this contentious bill received 914 written submissions. There was overwhelming opposition to the bill with 635 submissions opposed and only 175 in support, 103 submissions were considered neutral.

Why did the Select Committee completely ignore public opinion and all the evidence against this bill? 

Do they not believe that we have a Parliamentary democracy with government for the people by the people?

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life N.Z. Inc.

Why does parliament ignore public opinion?

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Media Release 12 November 2021

Right to Life believes that Parliamentary Select Committees repeatedly ignore public opinion in their consideration of important proposed legislation concerning the sanctity of life and human rights. 

 The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern told the nation, “that she was going to govern for all New Zealanders”. Right to Life assumes that this included those who made submissions to Select Committees.

In 2019 Parliament  passed the End of Life Choice Act that violates the sanctity of life and provides for doctors to kill their patients or assist in their suicide.

The Justice Select Committee that had the responsibility of considering this bill received 39,159 written submissions. 90% of these submissions were opposed to the passing of the End of Life Choice bill.  In spite of this overwhelming public opposition the Select Committee did not recommend to Parliament that the bill not proceed, nor was Parliament influenced to vote against this anti-life bill at its second and third reading.

In 2020 Parliament passed the Abortion Legislation Act, which has removed the killing of unborn children from the Crimes Act. It is now no longer a crime to kill an unborn child as it is not a human being with a right to life until it is born. Abortion is now health care.

In 2020 the Abortion Legislation Select Committee had the responsibility of considering the Abortion Legislation bill which received 25,000 written submissions. 91.6% of these submissions were opposed to the decriminalisation of abortion and the passing of this bill. In spite of this overwhelming public opposition, the Select Committee did not recommend to Parliament that the bill not proceed, nor was Parliament influenced to vote against this extreme anti-life bill at its second and third reading.

In 2021 the Health Select Committee had the responsibility of considering the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion [safe areas] Amendment bill of Louisa Wall. The Committee received 914 written submissions, of which 635 were opposed with 175 in support. In spite of the overwhelming public opposition the Select Committee recommended that the bill proceed. This bill is awaiting its second reading.

Select Committees have a statutory duty to invite the public to make written submissions on bills that have passed their first reading. The Committee also has a duty to consider these submissions in making recommendations on amendments to the bill and on whether the bill should proceed.

The community has a right to believe that we have government for the people by the people and that those who govern do so with the consent of the governed. That Parliament will legislate to protect the lives of every human being from conception to natural death and will uphold our human rights guaranteed by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and by the NZ Bill of Rights. Why then do many Select Committees ignore overwhelming opposition to contentious bills that violate the sanctity of life and our human rights?

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life NZ Inc.

Pro-abortion group threat to freedom of speech, assembly, communication and religion

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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

This is the website of Right to Life NZ Inc.
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