Right to Life New Zealand

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

There were 13,257 unborn children killed in New Zealand in 2021

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Media Release 28 October 2022

The Abortion Services organisation has just released its report on abortion in NZ for the preceeding year in which 13,257 of our children were killed in their mother’s wombs. The number killed was up slightly from the 13,246 killed in 2020.

Abortion Services stated that key achievments included;

  • Meeting Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and improving equity and access. (Right to life has to ask what providing abortion services has to do with the Treaty of Waitangi?)
  • Implementation of the national abortion telehealth service DECIDE. (Right to Life asks whether New Zealanders are really happy with abortion pills approved by telehealth service are really in the best interest of women and their unborn?)
  • Development of first trimester abortion training. (Training medical staff how to kill our unborn in the first trimester of pregnancy).
  • Development of the new Standard for Abortion Counselling. (More about this in due course).
  • Implementation of the Information Collection Regulations.
  • Implementation of the Safe Areas application process. (a.k.a abortion mills applying to Abortion Services to ensure protests against abortion within 150 metres of the mill are banned).
  • Changes to improve access to abortion medicines in the community. (a.k.a, easier access to medicines that will kill unborn children at home).

Our government and the bureaucracy that enables it to do its work may continue to expand the killing fields, but Right to Life will continue to fight for our unborn and vulnerable.

Chris O’Brien

President

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.

 

Government encouraging Maori to kill preborn – is this part of accepted Maori culture?

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Media Release 2 April 2022

Right to Life makes no apology for speaking up for the voiceless. We will never accept that the killing of God’s precious infants is part of Maori culture or of any other culture, it is part of a culture of death and has no place in a culture of life.

 Right to Life is concerned that the government is endeavouring to deceive Maori into believing that the killing of unborn children is an important part of Maori culture and that prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi there was no stigma or shame associated with abortion and that it was the right of Maori women to exercise autonomy over their bodies with the right to choose to kill their unborn child. Right to Life believes that the government is seeking to make lies acceptable and murder respectable.

This information is being given to abortion providers by the Ministry of Health in the document, New Zealand Aotearoa  Abortion Clinical Guideline in appendix A, Abortion & Maori, to help them to encourage Maori to accept abortion as an important part of their culture.

The Ministry of Health states: ”After 1840, the colonising process put an end to the self-determining right of Maoori to control their reproductive health and initiate an abortion. As a consequence, whanau, hapu and iwi knowledges about initiating abortions were subjugated. Maori have been deprived of these knowledges for more than 200 years.”

“The Abortion Legislation Act 2020, in combination with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, provides whanau, hapu and iwi with the opportunity to revitalise their older knowledges and practices for abortion. The intention is for Maori, in the context of abortion, to enact their rangatiratanga or self-determining rights and mana motuhake or autonomy over their bodies and their reproductive health and wellbeing.”

The Ministry presumably regrets that with the Treaty of Waitangi and acceptance of rule by the Crown, abortion eventually became illegal. Protection for the right to life of  unborn Maori was now afforded by the Crimes Act. The government is now shamefully apologising to Maori for the imposition Christianity, civilisation and respect for unborn life on them, allegedly in violation of their culture.

Missionaries  taught that the killing of innocent unborn children was intrinsically evil and violated the Fifth commandment of our Creator, Thou shalt not kill. If the government believes that it is going to remove the shame and stigma of abortion they are wrong. There should be a total prohibition of the taking of the lives of innocent human beings.

In 2020 there were 13,246 abortions reported in New Zealand. The total of abortions on Maori women totalled 2,875.The government is committed to making abortion more accessible and acceptable to Maori.

Right to Life believes that it is shameful for the government to seek to seduce vulnerable Maori women into violating their conscience by killing their precious child in the womb under the pretext that it was accepted by their ancestors as part of their culture.

The government believes,” that the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, in combination with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, provides whanau, hapu and iwi with the opportunity to revitalise their older knowledges and practices for abortion.”

Right to Life requests the government to not promote the falsehood that the Abortion Legislation Act 2020,  which permits abortion up to birth, will reinforce a pre-European Maori culture by encouraging more Maori babies to be murdered before they are born.

Right to Life is committed to being a voice for the voiceless and we will not be silenced in defence of wahine (Maori women)  and their precious unborn.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life N.Z. Inc.

Fifteen MPs of Maori Descent Vote to Deny Humanity of Maori Unborn Children

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Media Release 24 June 2020

Right to Life believes that the 15 MPs who claim Maori descent who mistakenly believed that they were supporting women, voted to support the passing of the anti-life and anti-feminist Abortion Legislation Act 2020, unwittingly breached the Treaty of Waitangi. Article three of the Treaty provides protection for the lives of Maori by the Crown. We believe that this protection extends to Maori unborn children.

 Right to Life commends the 12 MPs of Maori descent who courageously voted against the Abortion Bill, thus retaining for the unborn child the protection of the Crimes Act and the Treaty of Waitangi.

 This was a sad day for Maoridom, for Maori women and for their precious unborn. New Zealand must not rest until we elect a pro-life Parliament that will repeal  this appalling legislation. 

When the Treaty was signed in 1840, the Crown gave an assurance that Maori would have the Queen’s protection. It was believed that this was to include protection for the right to life of Maori from conception to natural death, which was provided by the common law of England and carried on in the New Zealand Crimes Act since 1856.

It was the intention of the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern who was the architect of this legislation and who believed that it was not a crime to kill an unborn child, to remove abortion from the Crimes Act. Unwanted children including Maori, could then be removed from the protection of the Crimes Act and killed, in the deceptive words of the Prime Minister, “as a reproductive choice for women”. It was the Minister of Justice who was responsible for drafting this legislation who declared in Parliament in presenting the legislation, that the unborn child had no human rights and was not, contrary to medical science, a human being until it was born.

The Abortion Legislation Act provides for an abortion and the killing of the child at the request of the woman up to twenty weeks’ gestation. The Crown withdraws its protection for the child and rejects its responsibility, effectively up to birth, to protect the life of this the weakest and most defenceless member of the human family.

The Act also :-

  • Denies the humanity of the unborn child.
  • Denies the child’s inalienable God given right to life.
  • Grants property rights to the mother over the child.
  • Declares that it is no longer a crime to kill an unborn child.
  • Grants the “right” of the mother to terminate the life of her child.

Statistics NZ advise that 2,991 unborn Maori children were violently killed before birth in 2019. This was 12 more than the 2,979 Maori babies killed in 2018.

Right to Life believes that the following MPs claiming Maori descent should explain to the electorate and the nation why they supported the Abortion Legislation Act that violated the human rights of the unborn and allowed for the Crown in violation of Article three to withdraw its protection for Maori mothers and the lives of their unborn. Hon. Paula Bennett, Hon. Kelvin Davis, Hon. Willie Jackson, Willow-Jean Prime, Kiritapu Allan, Louisa Wall, Paul Eagle, Jo Luxton, Hon. Tracey Martin, Jenny Marcroft, Marama Davidson, David Seymour and Jami-Lee Ross. Peeni Henare and Tamati Coffey represent Maori electorates and have the increased responsibility of upholding protection for the unborn in accordance with Article three of the Treaty in the interests of Maori.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life

Does Jacinda’s Child Murder Bill Violate the Treaty?

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Right to Life believes that the government’s Abortion Legislation bill violates Article three, “The protection of the Crown” of the Treaty of Waitangi.

This bill was presented to Parliament by the Minister of Justice at the direction of the Prime Minister.

The Minister Andrew Little, in introducing the Abortion Legislation Bill to Parliament on the 8th August said;

“I reject the notion that abortion entailed killing another human being and I accept on legal and on moral grounds that human rights do not accrue until human life is possible.”

This deplorable statement by the Minister is deeply offensive and insulting to women. He claims that the unborn child, an unrepeatable miracle of God’s creation, is not a human being and has no right to life.

The Crimes Act section 182 Killing an unborn child, upholds the right of the unborn child to be born. This is a human right that is universal and inalienable. It is a serious crime to kill an unborn child and on conviction an offender may be imprisoned for up to 14 years.

The Treaty was signed on 6 February 1840. Article Three of the Treaty provides for Maori the protection of the Crown and the law of England. Protection for Maori was provide by the Offences against the Persons Act 1837, which protected the right to life of every human being from implantation to natural death. Section Six of this Act prohibited the killing of an unborn child in an abortion. Under this Act the right of Maori to be born was upheld and the killing of the unborn child by abortion was prohibited.

The Labour led government acting as the Crown, is now proposing under the Abortion Legislation Bill to withdraw the protection of the Crown for the lives of unborn children. Under this legislation it would no longer be a crime to kill an unborn child in an abortion.   It is Jacinda Ardern’s intention to decriminalise abortion and to make the killing of the unborn “a reproductive choice for women.” Right to Life believes that this Abortion Bill is both anti-life and anti-women. This bill constitutes an unprecedented attack on the Treaty, a violation of human rights, and a betrayal of Maori. The government has no mandate from the electorate or from Maori for this indefensible attack on women and their precious unborn.

Right to Life laments that the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has departed from the founding principles of the once great Labour Party of Michael Joseph Savage and Norman Kirk to protect the weak and the marginalised in society. Today the unborn child is the weakest and most defenceless member of the human family and desperately needs effective legal protection for its right to life.

Ken Orr
Spokesperson,
Right to Life.

Government in danger of breaching Treaty of Waitangi

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The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern is to be commended for her moving words of love and concern for children expressed in her beautiful prayer at the Waitangi Day commemorations. She quoted Dame Whina Cooper,  “Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear. Take care of what they see. Take care of what they feel. For how the children grow so will be the shape of Aotearoa.” Referring to the principles of the Treaty she said, “Of course, we as a Government are trying to fill those not just in legislation, but in the policies and programmes that we roll out.”

Right to Life fully supports the principles of the Treaty and believe that we all have a responsibility to ensure that the Treaty rights of Maori are upheld. Right to Life believes that Article Three provides for the protection of the lives of Maori from conception to natural death. We ask the Prime Minster how can her government claim to uphold the Treaty when her Labour led government has plans to withdraw the protection of the Crown from Maori proclaimed in Article Three of the Treaty.

The Crimes Act section 182 Killing an unborn child states that the unborn child including Maori has a right to be born. This is a human right that is universal and inalienable. It is a serious crime to kill an unborn child including Maori and on conviction an offender may be imprisoned for up to 14 years. This protection has been there since 1856.

It is the intention of the Prime Minister and her government to withdraw this protection from women and the unborn including Maori. It is her intention to decriminalise abortion and to make the killing of the unborn “a reproductive choice for women.” Right to Life asks her, how can you uphold the principles of the Treaty by saying that it is no longer a crime to kill an unborn Maori child?

Right to Life believes that this proposed anti-life and anti-women legislation would be an unprecedented attack on the Treaty, a violation of human rights, and a betrayal of Maori.

Right to Life laments that the once great Labour Party of Michael Joseph Savage and Norman Kirk has departed from its founding principles to protect the weak and the marginalised in society. Today the unborn child is the weakest and most defenceless member of the human family and desperately needs effective legal protection for its right to life.

Right to Life requests that our Prime Minister, a caring woman and a loving mother, adopts the mantle of champion of women and their precious unborn by rejecting a culture of death with her ill-conceived proposal to decriminalise abortion. We urge her Instead to promote a culture of life by promoting adoption as a loving option for women with an unwanted pregnancy and women’s reproductive health with chastity before marriage and faithfulness within marriage.

Ken Orr
Spokesperson,
Right to Life

Is Andrew Little in breach of the Treaty of Waitangi?

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Media Release 3 December 2018

In an unprecedented attack on the sanctity of life of the unborn the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and the Minister of Justice propose that the killing of children before birth should not be a crime.

 The Minister of Justice, Andrew Little, at the direction of the Prime Minister proposes to amend the Crimes Act to remove women and their unborn from the protection of the Crimes Act. This Act provides legal protection for women and unborn children against the violence of abortion, it also protects the right to life of the unborn, which has been in the Crimes Act since 1856.

 Right to Life believes that the decriminalisation of abortion would be a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi and requests our submission be referred to the Waitangi Tribunal for a decision on this matter.

 Right to Life wrote to the Minister of Maori Development, the Hon. Nanaia Mahuta, in June 2018, requesting that she refer our submission to the Waitangi Tribunal for a decision, but she refused to do this, stating it would be inappropriate.

The Minister of Justice proposes that there would be no statutory test until 22 weeks of pregnancy. After 22 weeks pregnancy, the health practitioner intending to perform an abortion would need to be satisfied the abortion is appropriate in the circumstances, having regard to the women’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Right to Life believes that this represents a complete withdrawal by the government of protection for women and their unborn from the violence of abortion, including Maori. In the view of Right to Life, this would be a breach of Article Three of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Jacinda Ardern proposes that abortion, the killing of the unborn, should be taken out of the Crimes Act and treated as a reproductive issue of choice for women. It is her belief, and that of her government, that the killing of unborn children, those in Te Whare Tamariki, before birth, should not be a crime.

When the Treaty was signed at Waitangi in 1840, the Crown gave an assurance that Maori people would have the Queen’s protection and all the rights and privileges of British subjects.

We believe the protection of the Crown for the Maori people included the protection for the right to life of Maori from the beginning of pregnancy until death, which was provided by the common law of England and in the New Zealand Crimes Act since 1856.

For the government acting as the Crown to withdraw this protection for Maori women and their unborn would, in our view, be a serious violation of the Treaty.

Section 182. “Killing Unborn Child” of The Crimes Act provides protection for the life of the unborn including Maori. It is a serious crime to kill an unborn child and on conviction a person may be imprisoned for a term up to 14 years. Section 183. “Procuring abortion by any means” prohibits unlawful abortion, this is also a serious crime and every one on conviction, is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years. This section also states that; “the woman or girl shall not be charged as a party to an offence against this section.” It would be a great injustice for the government to remove this protection.

Why do Jacinda Ardern and Andrew Little believe that it should not be a crime to kill an innocent and defenceless unborn child, by abortion?

It is the government’s intention to make it no longer a crime to kill an unborn child in an abortion. Those children who are classified as unwanted will be taken out of the Crimes Act in order that they may be killed as a health service as a “reproductive choice for women” These children will lose the protection of the Crown.

The decriminalisation of abortion would be a violation of the human rights of unborn children and an attack on the dignity of all mothers, including Maori mothers.

It would be a declaration from the Crown that we have no interest in protecting the life of your child or protecting you from the violence of abortion, that your child is your property and it is your choice whether your child lives or dies.

The abortion rate for Maori is disturbingly high. In 2017 there were 3,111 abortions on Maori women, 23.4% of the total of 13,285 abortions reported in New Zealand.

Right to Life believes that if abortion is decriminalised, it will result in more pressure and coercion imposed on Maori women to terminate the lives of their child by the father of the child, who may abandon the mother if she does not have an abortion.

Ken Orr

Spokesperson,

Right to Life.

Is Jacinda Ardern’s government in breach of the Treaty of Waitangi?

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Media Release 30 July 2018

 

 Right to Life believes that Jacinda Ardern is in breach of Article Three of the Treaty of Waitangi. Jacinda Ardern proposes that abortion, the killing of the unborn, should be taken out of the Crimes Act and treated as a “reproductive issue of choice for women”. It is her belief and that of her government that the killing of children before birth should not be a crime, this includes Maori children.

When the Treaty was signed in 1840, the Crown gave an assurance that Maori would have the Queen’s protection. It is believed that that protection was to include protection for the right to life of Maori from implantation to natural death, which was provided by the common law of England and carried on in the New Zealand Crimes Act since 1856.

The Crimes Act section 182. “Killing Unborn Child” provides protection for the life of the unborn including Maori. It is a serious crime to kill an unborn child and on conviction a person may be imprisoned for a term up to 14 years. Section 183. “Procuring abortion by any means” prohibits unlawful abortion, this is also a serious crime and every one on conviction, is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years. This section also states that; “the woman or girl shall not be charged as a party to an offence against this section.” This legal protection for the lives of unborn children has been in the Crimes Act since 1856.It would be a great injustice for the government to remove this protection.

Why does Jacinda Ardern believe that it should not be a crime to kill an innocent and defenceless Maori unborn child?

It is the government’s intention to make it no longer a crime to kill an unborn child in an abortion. Those children who are classified as unwanted will be taken out of the Crimes Act in order that they may be killed as a health service and  as a “reproductive choice for women” These children will effectively lose the protection of the Crown. The children who are wanted will retain the protection of the Crimes Act and the protection of the Crown.

The decriminalisation of abortion would be a violation of the human rights of all unborn children including Maori and an attack on the dignity of Maori mothers, it would be a statement from the state that we have no interest in protecting the life of your child or protecting you from the violence of abortion, the child is your property and it is your choice whether the child lives or is killed. If we followed the Victorian model, abortion for any reason, is available up to 24 weeks if a doctor agrees. Abortion from 25 weeks to birth is available for any reason if two doctors believe that an abortion is desirable. Victoria effectively has abortion on demand up to birth.

The abortion rate for Maori is disturbing. In 2017 there were 13,285 abortions reported in New Zealand, 3,111 of these abortions were on Maori women. I believe that if abortion is decriminalised it will result in more pressure and coercion imposed on Maori women to terminate the life of their child by the fathers of the child who threaten to abandon the mother if she does not have an abortion.

Ken Orr

Spokesperson,

Right to Life

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